Kill of the Night
by Wolf Brigade
Summary: The Guild doesn't pay nearly enough money for the creatures Anna has to hunt down on the weekly basis. Seriously, it's like Arendelle's on top of a Hellmouth. So when she has to put out an ad for a roommate, all she wants is someone nice and normal. What she gets is the beautiful and awkward Elsa, who has a secret of her own. Modern Elsanna AU
1. Monsters Call It Home

**A/N: **Don't ask me why I decided to write a wintery story in summer, I don't know myself. This fic is a mix of a few different things, the main ones being a supernatural/modern/college AU featuring an Elsa with powers. As you may have guessed from the summary, I'll be taking some inspiration from Buffy in terms of tone. My lovely cover art is from Juntao0926 on tumblr. Check out her other Frozen art, the link will be on my profile.

There will be a glossary of creatures at the end of each chapter, which has their location in the chapter as well as a short description of them. Please enjoy!

* * *

**Monsters Call It Home**

* * *

Anna tastes blood in her mouth. Dirt too, but she finds the blood to be a bit more disconcerting. If she swallows any more of it, she knows it'll come back up in an extremely unpleasant way. So she spits out a mouthful, the spray a blinding red against the snow-covered ground.

God, this was supposed to be her day off. Her new roommate was moving in today and she wanted to be there to greet her, maybe even help her unpack. They could have ordered pizza and gotten to know each other.

But no—some goddamn _ahool_ of all things had to start trouble. It wasn't enough for him to just stick to a vegetarian diet like all of his other man-sized bat brethren. No, he decided that he wanted to be a vampire bat, using the citizens of Arendelle (a town which already has a _mysteriously_ high mortality rate) as his personal juice boxes.

Anna got the page informing her that the ahool is no longer fit for this world and she's just spent the last two hours hauling ass through the forest, switching between chasing and being chased by a giant, psychotic creature with a severe case of bloodlust.

The ahool swoops down only a few feet away from her, sniffing curiously at a red patch of snow at its feet before a long, thin tongue darts out to taste it. Anna can practically _feel_ the rumble of approval that rips through the creature.

"So," Anna pants, getting up as quickly as her bruised ribs and talon-slashed arms will allow, "fan of the A-positive blood, are you? I had you pegged for an O-lover myself, but I regret to inform you that the Anna Theron Blood Bank is now closed. You'll have to try harder for your next taste."

The creature turns his attention away from the ground to stare at her through dead yellow eyes. Standing on his hind legs, he's easily north of five-feet tall and looks sorely disappointed to learn that the meager sampling of blood is all he'll get. He lets out an ear splitting screech and half-runs, half-flies towards Anna, talons nearly lifting off the ground.

Anna rolls to the side at the last second, sweeping her crossbow up and putting an arrow in the back of the ahool's neck. It does little to slow him down, being just as ineffective as the ones in his ribs and wing.

Anna curses her stupidity—she shouldn't have brought the crossbow tonight. It's hard to wield, slow to reload. Honestly, she only brought the damn thing because it was a recent purchase and she wanted to test it out. Maybe she should have upgraded to the full-sized one instead of stubbornly sticking with the mini...

"Fine, dick," Anna mumbles, shaking away her distracting thoughts. "I have other treats at my disposal." Her backpack, which has been weighing her down since the beginning of this fun-filled mission, is now quickly being ripped open. Her hand squeezes around a pack and she takes it out, waving it temptingly at the creature. "Didn't I say you looked like someone who might enjoy the taste of type-O? Well here, this one's on me." Aiming for the stars, she throws the blood bag as hard as possible.

The ahool doesn't need much incentive to fly after it, but Anna is too busy feeling around for another item in her bag to really track his progress. The net gun she grasps is quickly aimed at the creature's back, and she fires it as quickly as she can. The net blooms around the ahool before encasing and entangling him, sending him plummeting towards the ground. A fine mist of snow erupts from his rough landing, and Anna shields her face with a hand even as she begins to move towards him.

She stakes the net to the ground in several places, careful to sidestep the creature's sharp claws and wingtips. A hard yank at his restrained neck loosens one of her arrows and she reloads it into her crossbow. The ahool looks a little pitiful now and if he wasn't so clearly deranged, Anna might feel bad for him. But he clearly stepped over the line when he decided to feast on humans. Ahools weren't naturally inclined to eat meat and were, for the most part, peaceful creatures. This one is nothing more than a rotten egg giving a bad name to the rest of his species.

Anna winds the crossbow and aims squarely at one of his now-bulging eyes. The shot is fast and the death just as quick.

_Well_, Anna thinks as grabs her phone and dials one of the Guild's many numbers, _that wasn't so bad_.

* * *

The cleanup is predictably messy, however. The body has to be taken care of quickly, before it attracts the attention of any nearby harpies. By the time Anna is done writing up her field report and handing over the carcass to Cleanup for disposal, it's nearly three in the morning.

She sighs tiredly. So much for meeting the roomie.

The drive back to her apartment is a short one helped along by singing with the songs on the radio. Her hand shakes slightly when she unlocks the door to her apartment. She _really_ needs to put some of that new healing salve on her body—while she is strong, she's still only human.

She enters the apartment quietly, unsurprised to see the empty boxes outside the roomie's door. Anna's glad they won't have to share a bedroom; it'll be trouble enough having only one bathroom between the two of them.

Once again, she curses her landlord. If he hadn't raised the rent, she wouldn't need a roommate at all. The Guild's pay is crap and it seems like most of it goes towards new clothes, weapons, books, or whatever supernatural healing supplies she can get her hands on. Anna had been using the spare room to hold all of those items, though they're now stuffed into every nook and cranny of her own bedroom.

(Last week, she nearly pricked herself with a fast-acting poison dart sticking out between her mattress and bedframe when she was changing her sheets. Now all potentially lethal items are split between the four duffel bags stowed in her closet.)

If the rent were cheaper in other parts of town, Anna would totally move. But it's not, and the location can't be beat—she's only ten minutes away from the university she takes classes at and the wooded area behind the apartment complex is perfect for hiding bodies (yes, she realizes she sounds like a psychopath).

So she sucked it up and put out an ad for a roommate. It went something like, 'Roommate wanted: must be female, clean, and value privacy above all else. Will probably not see much of each other, but let's be friends if we do.' Due to it being late into the semester with most people already committed to their leases, she had only gotten one reply by someone named…Eleanor? Alyssa? Anna doesn't quite remember, but in her defense she had both midterms and a nest of flesh-eating beetles to deal with that week. She figured she'd meet the roommate eventually.

But now, in the tiny and dark apartment, Anna hopes the other woman won't need to take a late-night trip to the bathroom—she would find Anna covered in twigs and mud and blood. Not exactly the best first impression.

After Anna's done showering (and thoroughly cleaning her arrowheads in the sink), she comes out to find that the roomie's door is still firmly shut.

Good. Maybe this arrangement wouldn't be as bad as she thought.

* * *

She wakes the next morning slumped over the kitchen table, her head pressed into a napkin and a half-eaten peanut butter sandwich clutched protectively in one of her hands. Was she really so tired that she couldn't even finish _eating_? Lame, but definitely not unprecedented.

The first thing she realizes how cold it is in the apartment. She lets out a yawn and glances at the thermostat on the wall. 63 degrees…that doesn't seem right at all.

She makes a mental note to ask her landlord to fix the heater before staring down at her sandwich in contemplation. Was it still good to eat? It had been out for most of the night now. She takes a cautious bite at the corner. Yep. Still delicious.

Right when she's stuffing the rest of the sandwich into her mouth, her pager starts beeping like crazy. Anna nearly chokes in surprise, gooey peanut butter threatening to coat her lungs.

Flailing slightly, she manages to get the lump of sandwich down her throat successfully. After catching her breath, she reads the message on her pager.

_Arachne, 9ft, 28.42°, 81.58° heading N. _

Shit. She hates spiders.

She runs to her closet to change out of her pajamas and into a pair of jeans, a long-sleeved shirt, and her favorite leather jacket. She gives herself a cursory glance in her bathroom mirror and grimaces slightly.

Even after applying some of her ointments to her skin last night, the gash extending from the hairline near her temple towards her jaw is only half-healed at best, and her arms aren't much better. At least all of her bruises have already become a gross, fading yellow. Not that it mattered too much at the moment—today's hunting trip would probably add a few more accessory injuries to her body. Awesome.

Her pager beeps again when she's pouring herself a cup of milk in front of the fridge, and she glares at it in suspicion. Back-to-back pages were never a good thing.

_2__nd__ arachne, 12ft, same loc_

"Holy hell," she mutters under her breath, because those spiders are no joke. Two would be a definite pain to deal with. She retreats into her room again, this time making a beeline for her closet. Despite the fact that she opens it slowly and carefully, an avalanche of hunting supplies nearly buries her. She curses loudly and hurriedly sifts through the bags until she has what she needs.

She emerges from her room triumphantly, a duffel bag slung over her shoulder (one that does _not _contain that pain in the ass crossbow, thank you very much). Anna shoots one last cursory look at her roommate's door, which is still firmly closed. There's no way to know if the mysterious person is in there or had already left for the day. Anna shrugs to herself before stepping outside and locking the door behind her, figuring the two of them would have to cross paths eventually.

Snow has already started falling and Anna sprints to her car, head bowed against the light flurry. Once she's inside the freezing vehicle, she digs through her pockets for her phone. While she waits for the other person to pick up, she pulls on some gloves—the right one being made specifically for archery.

When the other person finally picks up, Anna can't help but grin. "Hey. Up for some extracurricular hunting?"

* * *

Anna stretches her neck this way and that, trying to get rid of the stiffness that had resulted from falling asleep in the kitchen. Figures, it wasn't the giant bat talons or the cold hard ground that had made her feel as sore as a ninety-year old, but the damn table.

She's grumbling darkly to herself about turning it into mulch when her friend's dog suddenly appears at her side, nudging the hand that's not carrying her bow. Anna smiles despite herself and runs her fingers through his thick fur. Sven always knew when she was in a foul mood, which meant Kristoff probably knew as well.

Anna glances at the man in question, who's shuffling alongside her. Two ice axes dangle loosely off his wrist straps and his trademark gray beanie is secured on his head, a few strands of blond hair poking out from beneath it.

Others tended to think he was weird, what with his tendency to talk to his dog like Sven could answer back (though this actually isn't so far from the truth). Kristoff's parents were close friends with Anna's, and they trained their children together. Sometime shortly after their first meeting, the two of them decided to become friends. And despite all of her contacts in the Guild and beyond, Anna's never seen anyone who is as deadly with his weapon of choice as Kristoff is. It's like he was born clutching a tiny little axe in his baby hands.

The image makes her chuckle and Kristoff shoots her a look full of suspicion. "You're laughing at me, aren't you?"

Anna rolls her eyes and shifts the bow in her hand. "For such a badass, you have really low self-esteem." He bristles at that so she continues with a smirk, "And yes, I was laughing at you."

Choosing not to take the moral high ground, he sticks his tongue out at her. "Oh yeah? How's your roommate situation working out?"

The abrupt change in conversation is probably supposed to catch her off guard, but it doesn't bother her at all. "Actually, I have no idea. I haven't seen her yet. Still," Anna muses, "it'll probably be better than rooming with you."

"Hey!" Kristoff says, looking affronted. "I told you, Sven needs his own room. It's not my fault you can't make do with the living room couch." For her benefit, he says the next words out loud even as his eyes become unfocused. "Isn't that right, buddy? So Little Princess here shouldn't be allowed to complain about her roommate at all."

Also for Anna's benefit, Sven huffs warm air against her hand before darting into the forest ahead of them. Anna glares at Kristoff, who's now grinning at whatever Sven told him. "Just because you have your," Anna waves her hands in front of him, making vague gestures, "'animal whisper thing' doesn't mean you guys can talk about me when I'm right in front of you. It's _rude_. And I wasn't complaining about my roommate. Like I said, I have no idea what she's like. She could be a hermit who never leaves her room for all I know."

Kristoff looks unconvinced. "I suppose so." His face softens a bit as he continues, "But remember that I've lived with normal folk before. It's a real pain in the ass to hide such a huge part of yourself, it feels like you can't open up at all. So just be careful with what you say or do around her."

Anna bites her lip. This situation does kind of suck. Anna's a naturally friendly person, though the only people she'd consider friends are all part of the Guild. Normal people…they're off-limits. Too much liability, too many secrets to keep. Which makes it even more frustrating that she has to live with someone normal just because she can't afford a place of her own anymore.

Kristoff's looking at her expectantly so she nods in agreement. "I know, I know," she sighs. Eager to change the conversation, she asks, "How has your week been? Any good stories?"

"I got to take down a giant serpent a few days ago. That was pretty awesome," he answers, trying and failing to look modest. He had probably been waiting with bated breath for her to ask.

"Ohh, was it one of those feathered ones?" Anna asks excitedly. It seems like Kristoff always had good stories to tell.

He shakes his head and another boyish grin crosses his face. "Nah, it was a basilisk. It must've been like sixteen feet long."

"No way!" Anna exclaims good-naturedly. "How did you kill it without looking at it?" She realizes before he can answer, "Sven."

Kristoff hums in agreement. "He clawed out the eyes and I stabbed the heart. It took a few tries since I couldn't find it. I should really brush up on my serpent anatomy," he adds thoughtfully. "How about you? Anything good?"

Anna shakes her head. "Just more of the same. Did you know we had a dingonek living in the sewers? I didn't, but HQ told me he had taken a few people as snacks and so I dealt with him earlier this week. Oh," her face brightens, "and I had an ahool last night. That one was actually pretty fun. Though it's made me begin to wonder why normal, supposedly _sane _people keep moving to Arendelle despite its relatively high mortality rates."

"Because of the decent cost of living and well-regarded school system?" Kristoff suggests half-jokingly. Anna nudges him in annoyance and he continues, "But one case right after another…that's rough. Good thing I'm here to help you pick up the slack."

"What slack?" Anna says, immediately on the defensive. "There's no slack here. I'm operating at full capacity!"

"Then why are there still crumbs on your face?" Kristoff teasingly pokes at her cheeks and Anna swats his hand away. "Do they have some magic capabilities I'm not aware of?"

A bark from Sven interrupts their bickering and Kristoff's eyes narrow in concentration. Without warning, he takes off running, feet crunching against the fresh powder. "Sven found them!" he yells to her, readying his axes. "Ready to work?"

Anna's right behind him, an arrow already nocked and ready to fly. "Bring it."

* * *

"Giant spiders, huh?" Her voice is exhausted and while she doesn't remember sitting down, she's somehow on the ground, her back propped up against a tree. The snow is soaking into her jeans but she can't summon enough energy to care. "I finally understand why everyone thought Hagrid was crazy for keeping one as a pet."

Kristoff's right beside her and Sven's already passed out at their feet. "Yeah," Kristoff answers hollowly. "Dude was clearly insane."

Anna stretches her arms over her head. "Thanks for your help today, it was greatly appreciated."

"Yeah," he nods after a moment, reluctantly hauling himself up. "Do you want to come over for some hot chocolate? I think it's my turn to make it."

"Hmm," Anna considers before nodding. "That sounds really good, actually." She reaches for Kristoff's hand when he extends it to her, wincing at her sore shoulder muscles. Her mouth turns downwards when she takes in how truly messy the two of them are.

The snow has made everything extra muddy and the spider blood is a thick, stinking blue. Anna's shoes are covered in the gunk, and generous smears of mud stain her jeans and jacket. Kristoff isn't any better—his beanie has soggy leaves pasted on one side of it, and both mud and spider blood coat him from fingertips to elbows, making him look like a child who went crazy with finger-paint.

(One reason Anna prefers her bow and arrow to close ranged weapons—less mess. While Kristoff is excellent at throwing his ice axes, he works best when they stay in his hands. The tradeoff of having to scavenge around for her arrows after a job is well worth it, in her opinion.)

"We should probably hit the camp showers before splitting up," Anna says weakly. "I don't want to go through your apartment complex looking like a murder scene."

Kristoff takes off his beanie and frowns at it. The newly uncovered hair is sweaty and sticks up every which way. "Sure. I have some extra clothes in my car if you need some."

Anna nearly dances in delight at the idea of burrowing herself into one of his large flannel shirts. At this point, she probably has more of his shirts in her closet than he does—it's becoming a problem but if Kristoff knows (which he probably does), he doesn't seem to mind. "That would be awesome," she says happily.

The two of them (plus a sleepy Sven) make their way to their cars and drive to the closest campsite. Anna has an encyclopedic knowledge of where all the outdoor showers in the forest are since she has to use them so often. The shower spray is predictably icy but Kristoff lives up to his offer; soon she's wearing a baggy blue and gray flannel shirt under her leather jacket and a clean pair of jeans she found in her trunk. She was successful in getting most of the muck off her boots and pulls them back on, ignoring the feel of the cold and wet material against her feet.

Right before she's about to leave the parking lot, Kristoff runs over and taps on her window. Wondering what he wants, Anna rolls it down.

"I almost forgot—you did Weselton's paper, right?" Kristoff asks. "I know we've both been busy with hunting over the break but today _is _the last day before we go back to school."

Anna feels the blood drain out of her face. "P-paper?" Shit, she'd rather deal with another monster than write a paper at the last minute. How had she not remembered to do it?

Kristoff nods and gives her a sympathetic look. "Yeah. The prompt's online and it only has to be eight or so pages. You should be able to get it done in no time." They both know that's not true—Anna's horribly slow at writing papers even when she's familiar with the topic.

She feels a light pressure on her head and realizes Kristoff is giving her an encouraging pat with a gloved hand. "You can use my computer and stay over tonight if you want," he offers. "That way we can head to class together in the morning."

"I knew there was a reason you were my best friend," Anna grins up at him. Seriously, he's way more thoughtful than he would like to admit.

Kristoff pretends to act like the remark doesn't affect him but Anna can see him fighting off a smile. "Yeah, yeah. I'll see you in a little bit, okay?"

He heads back to his car and Anna follows him out of the parking lot, halfheartedly wishing she could relocate to a warmer place when her heater struggles to come on. Hunting has never been a glamorous occupation and it was definitely not for the faint of heart. Hunters had messy jobs and lived messy lives. Those jobs were made even messier in the winter, where snow and ice and cold made for more dangerous work.

In the warmer months after a job in the forest, she would have been walking through one of the small streams barefoot, her shoes hanging off the back of her neck by the laces. She'd be wearing a tank top and capris, and the camp showers would be refreshing instead of freezing. The windows of her car would be rolled down and she'd be blasting some songs she could belt along with.

Unfortunately for her, Arendelle is too far up north for summer to really stick around. Only about two months a year were warm enough to forgo sweaters; the rest shifted between moderately chilly to downright freezing.

Her heater breaks her out of her reverie when it begins to sputter feebly against the temperature. She gives it a soothing pat. "You and me both, buddy."

* * *

Anna wakes early the next morning in Kristoff's bed, Sven nosing against her face. She blinks sleepily and lightly swats the eager dog away. "No," she groans, burying her head under the pillow. "I don't wanna go to class."

Last night had been all frenzied typing, encouraging words from Kristoff, and the occasional hair-pulling moment of stress. Papers were her worst enemy, especially when they were on vague political theories from long-dead geniuses. For the millionth time, she's glad her major is mostly readings and field work.

Sven, who has apparently made it his mission to get her out of bed, starts to tug down the blankets with his teeth. The end result is Anna curled up in the fetal position as cool apartment air comes over her body.

"I hate you," she mumbles towards Sven. In response, the dog presses into her side, sharing some of his body heat, before bounding out of the room.

Anna slowly sits up and stretches. After changing back into Kristoff's flannel shirt and her clean pants from yesterday, she heads out into his main room. Kristoff's still laying down on the couch in front of the tv, sprawled out under a few blankets. His arms are folded underneath his head and he seems to be peering up at the ceiling in thought.

Anna clears her throat, wondering if she's interrupting some deep musings of his. "Do you want me to make breakfast? We have plenty of time before class."

"Oh," he blinks slowly and his pale eyes focus on her. "Sure. You know where everything is."

He eventually gets up as well, drawn to the kitchen by the smell of bacon. He feeds Sven some of his leftover eggs before going into his room and changing for class.

As Anna is drying the dishes, she can't help but smile at the easy familiarity of it all. She and Kristoff have known each other for more than ten years now, have grown from snot-nosed brats into young adults together. Their closeness is often seen as romantic, a notion both have gotten tired of correcting. They were more along the lines of siblings, fiercely protective of one another while also capable of anticipating each other's needs—something that helps them greatly whenever they hunt together.

Kristoff comes out of his room a few minutes later, fitting his freshly-laundered beanie over his hair. "Ready to go?"

"No," Anna sighs, packing away the pencil and notebook Kristoff had lent her for the day. She heads out ahead of him, hoping she can find a parking spot that isn't too terribly far from her classes.

Thirty minutes later, she skids to a stop outside of her lecture hall (quite literally as there is ice beneath her shoes), catching herself against her friend's broad shoulders. "Hey there, buddy," she says casually.

Kristoff turns around, an eyebrow already raised. "How did I end up getting here before you? And you're cutting it a bit close; you know Weselton will freak if you're late." Due to their sometimes hectic hunting schedules, both of them knew firsthand exactly how dickish their International Relations professor got if someone showed up late. One boy, a star player on the school's football team, had actually broken down in tears under the man's embarrassing, intensely personal scrutiny.

Anna gives an exaggerated shiver, recalling the first time Weselton had yelled at her. "You don't have to remind me." She holds up the cup of coffee that's scorching her fingertips through its cardboard holder. "But I figured grabbing some caffeine was worth the risk."

The two continue their chitchat while waiting for the professor to open the doors and save them from imminent frostbite. Despite absolutely despising their teacher, Anna's glad she and Kristoff have a class together. It gives them time to socialize in a monster-free setting and pretend they're just two completely normal students.

The doors open exactly three minutes before class and everyone rushes in past Weselton, who's already tutting impatiently at his students.

"I swear he'd be written up so many times by now if he wasn't tenured," Kristoff mutters under his breath as the two settle into the corner of the back row, Anna snagging the aisle seat. "Guy's a complete ass."

"Yeah, but he's an ass who can fail us. Thank god we're halfway through this awful class. For next semester, _I'll _be the one who picks the elective," Anna responds in an equally quiet voice.

Weselton struggles to close the hall's massive doors, something that's always amusing for his students to watch. Huffing and red in the face, he struts down to the front of the room and turns on the projector, intent on starting up the same lecture from before fall break.

"Using Corona as our case study, we will continue to investigate the state's regime change from a monarchy to the modern democracy it is today," Weselton begins in his oddly-high voice. "Beginning as early as 1560—"

The class' doors open again with an ominous creak and the students hold their breath in anticipation of a verbal beat down. Anna and Kristoff both turn to see who opened the door as well, having the closest seats to the show.

It's a girl, one who seems vaguely familiar to Anna. She has long, platinum hair that seems too fine to tangle, pulled into a loose braid over her shoulder. The pale skin of her face is flushed from the sudden attention of the whole class, and Anna is close enough to see a few light freckles dusting her sharp cheekbones. Her ripped and faded jeans lead directly into a pair of ankle high motorcycle boots. A form fitting tee is visible under her unbuttoned, dark gray peacoat.

"Well, well, well," comes the snide voice of the professor. The girl tenses in response, knowing what's about to happen. "Did you just think you could stroll into my class, _late_, because it's the first day back to school?"

"No," the girl says quickly, defensively. "I couldn't find my—"

"Do you think I want to hear your excuses?" Weselton asks, glee apparent in his face. He pushes up his glasses and continues on, "Why would you even come here if you knew you were going to be late? Do you know how _disrespectful _that is? How _insulting _to not just me, but to your fellow classmates?"

Anna personally feels that it's more disrespectful of him to eat away his class time like this. From the way Kristoff's shifting agitatedly next to her, she can tell that he agrees.

Weselton stays rooted to his lectern, preferring to let his voice carry across the room. "Maybe you should apologize to the class for wasting their precious time. Would you like that, class?"

Everyone stays silent, unanimously deciding to stand against their professor. Weselton frowns, not expecting this response. He snaps his eyes back to his target, who is still right next to Anna. "Well, _I _think you should apologize," he sniffs.

Anna can practically feel the mortification rolling off of the girl and sees her ball her hands into fists. Her mouth twists unhappily and she seems to be fighting with herself to give Weselton what he wants.

"I..._apologize_," the girl finally forces out, looking like she's one second away from hitting the professor. Her hands are still balled and seem to be shaking with anger and embarrassment.

Weselton nods, satisfied that he's had yet another student bend to his will. "Very good. Now, where was I…"

Anna glances up at the girl, wishing she had said something to get her off the hook. Feeling someone's gaze on her, the girl turns to Anna, eyes narrowing before she realizes who she's looking at. Her reaction changes completely when the two of them lock eyes—a pink flush rises on her cheeks and her blue eyes become impossibly wide. She quickly walks down the main aisle and picks a seat far from Anna, head turning only slightly towards the back of the room as if contemplating stealing another peek at her. Apparently thinking better of it, she turns her attention to Weselton.

Kristoff starts scribbling on her notebook and taps Anna's knee to get her attention. _What the hell was that about? _is scrawled in the margin of her paper.

Anna takes ahold of the notebook and tilts it out of his sight. She gets busy writing what looks to be an elaborate response, taking up nearly half of the class period. Kristoff eventually starts kicking her foot in impatience and she rolls her eyes before flinging the notebook in front of him. After his initial disbelief, his shoulders start to shake with silent laughter.

Anna looks down at the paper and smiles at her work of art—a giant, highly stylized question mark.

* * *

Anna gets back to her apartment late in the afternoon, having lost track of time with one of her professors during his office hours. The man, Dr. Mowgli, is an expert in the field of wildlife ecology and Anna had spent the time picking his brain about certain conservation efforts and his personal interests in the jungles of India.

Before they both knew it, his next class was about to start and they were forced to part ways. But the meeting had put her in a great mood; by the time she opens her apartment door, she's whistling a cheery tune.

Her jeans are soon off in favor of a pair of sweatpants she's practically swimming in. The apartment is warmer than she remembers it being yesterday morning, which is awesome. Actually, this seems to be one of those times where _everything _is awesome—her hunting's been successful, she got her IR paper done, classes went smoothly, and Dr. Mowgli is sure to give her a kick-ass recommendation letter at the end of term.

She puts some pasta on the stovetop and brings her computer out of her room to boot up some catchy pop music—the perfect thing to complement her cooking. She's shaking her hips along to the tunes when she hears a scratching sound against the front door. Muting the volume, she listens a little more carefully, and yep, there's the sound again. This time it's accompanied by a slight jingling.

Eyeing her pasta in suspicion, she turns off the heat and puts the pot on a cooled burner before walking towards the front door and opening it in curiosity.

It takes quite a bit to catch Anna off guard; actually, she considers herself to be nigh-unshakeable. So when she opens the door, she expects to see someone posting a flyer on the wall next to her door or maybe even some loud, drunk underclassman wandering by.

What she doesn't expect is the pretty girl with attitude from Weselton's class to be standing in front of her, a key in her outstretched hand.

"Um," Anna says eloquently.

The girl jerks back, nearly tripping over her own feet in her effort to put some distance between them. Her face is once again flushed and her hand whips down to her side. "I'm sorry. I think I got the wrong address," she says, voice shaking slightly. She looks behind Anna to read the numbers on the door and her eyebrows draw in confusion.

"This is 304," Anna says helpfully. God, this girl is interesting. She rebelled as much as she could against Weselton, looking like she wouldn't mind taking out a hit on him, but now she seems completely flustered.

"I—" the girl still looks confused. "Do you _live _here?" Her tone is pretty close to 'stunned', which is a little overdramatic in Anna's opinion.

Anna shrugs in response. "Either that or I'm a really laid back burglar." That doesn't seem to calm the girl down any so she adds, "I'm assuming you're my new roommate? I'm Anna," she holds out her hand in greeting.

The girl looks down at it and then at her own hand. "Elsa," she finally says, folding her arms across her chest. "We have a class together."

Okay, is this _Elsa _purposely being rude? Anna steps aside and lets the girl pass her, something dangerously close to a smirk on her lips when she replies, "Yes, I remember." There is just enough sass in the three words meant to make Elsa wonder what exactly Anna remembers—her as a normal classmate, or her getting yelled at this morning.

Elsa comes to a stop inside the small hallway and Anna can make out the tip of a pink ear. She suddenly feels bad; maybe the girl wasn't rude, just shy. _Way to make a bitchy first impression, Anna_.

So she clears her throat and tries for a more civil tone. "I'm sorry I wasn't here to help you move in, some work-related stuff got in the way and I didn't get back until late." The words are honest and she hopes Elsa realizes that.

Anna brushes past her to renew her cooking, putting her pasta back on the burner and preparing a can of tomato sauce. Straining her ears, she hears Elsa take off her shoes before the girl comes out to the main space of the apartment and sits on one of the sunken-in couches.

Anna can feel Elsa's eyes on her back but carries on as if she doesn't notice. God, this whole thing feels so _awkward_. Even after her pasta's drained and her sauce is poured over it (along with a staggering amount of parmesan), Elsa still hasn't moved or said a word.

"So…" Anna starts, sitting down at a kitchen chair that faces Elsa. "Weselton's an ass, isn't he?"

The remark startles a small smile out of Elsa. The look throws Anna off for a moment; even if it's tiny, the smile makes Elsa look even prettier than she already is. "One could say that," Elsa answers diplomatically.

Anna snorts. "Sure. One could say many things about that tiny man. Are you a polisci major?"

"No, biology. I want to get a PhD in genetics," Elsa responds automatically, like most college students do when asked that question.

"How very Professor X of you," Anna says, impressed despite herself. "I'm in wildlife conservation." The major is one the Guild approved of and paid for. Along with a few other academic specialties, wildlife conservation is an area the Guild wants to have more of their people in, hoping they would help continue shielding humans from the supernatural world.

While it's great that they cover her tuition, they don't cover living expenses and the pay they give for hunting is laughably little. Which is why Anna is now talking to a new roommate instead of lounging around the apartment by herself. However, the overtime she pulled during fall break did allow her to spend money on this spaghetti rather than instant ramen, so at least she has that going for her.

"What made you move during the middle of the semester? Roommate trouble?" Anna hazards a guess. Elsa seems to float between 'needlessly rude' and 'strangely shy', something that perhaps caused tension at her last place.

"In a way," Elsa says eventually, casting her gaze downwards. Her teeth sink into her lower lip and Anna feels goosebumps pop up on her arms. She shivers, rubbing warmth into herself before going back to her pasta. The motions catch Elsa's attention and her head snaps up to stare at Anna.

She stands abruptly. "I'm going to bed," she announces before striding towards her room without another word. Her door click shuts behind her, leaving a very confused Anna in her wake.

"Umm…good night?" Anna says uncertainly to the empty room. She leans back in her seat, wondering if all roommates were this strange.

By the time she's finished drying the dishes and putting her leftovers in the fridge, she notices that it's once again chilly in the apartment. Before turning off the kitchen light, she takes the time to flip off the thermostat (screw you, 58 degrees).

Her usual bedtime ritual (brush teeth, put healing salve on injuries, pick out clothes for tomorrow) commences. The final step—bundling herself under her comforter like a human burrito—is a work in progress when she gets a text from Kristoff.

_-I'm hunting tonight. You're on call till dawn_

Anna frowns, her thumbs flying across her screen. _I thought it was Meridas turn. What gives?_

_-Family emergency, something about a bear, I dont know for sure_

_-Urrgh fine. Be safe. When u get back, I'll have to tell u about my roomie_

_-Finally met her? Can't wait for deets _

_-God, youre such a teenage girl sometimes. No one says 'deets'_

_-Then I guess I'll go kill something to regain my manhood. Later hater_

Anna rolls her eyes and turns her phone off. Her pager lies innocently on her nightstand, acting like it totally won't beep at some godforsaken hour.

Before she drifts off to sleep, light from the kitchen filters under her door. Anna groans and the reality that she has a roommate finally sinks in. Before, that just meant one of her rooms was off limits. Now it means she's cohabiting with some strange and pretty classmate she'd never really taken notice of.

It's weird how things worked out sometimes, isn't it?

* * *

_3:22am _

Anna blindly grasps at her beeping pager and squints through the light emitted by the tiny screen.

_Lavellan, 2ft, 28.36°, 81.59° reloc if poss_

"I hate my life."

* * *

**A/N: **This is a really fun story to write so I hope you enjoyed it! If you have any questions about the universe, feel free to PM me or ask in a review (though a bit more will come to light in later chapters). I've intentionally shied away from exposition about the Guild and other things, but I know some people like to have those gaps filled in.

Glossary-

**Ahool** (first creature Anna fights)- man-sized bat with the face of a chimp, estimated to have a wingspan of up to 12 feet.

**Harpies **(Anna calls Cleanup before these can eat the Ahool)- female monsters that are half-woman, half-bird. Feed off the dead.

**Arachne** (Anna's assignment)- legendary weaver. But for the purpose of this story, an arachne is essentially just a giant spider.

**Basilisk** (Kristoff's earlier hunt)- large, venomous snake that can kill with a look.

**Dingonek** (Anna's earlier hunt)- looks like a giant, scaled walrus. Lives in steamy areas.

**Lavellan** (Anna's last assignment)- usually a benign rodent that lives in rivers, said to be poisonous.


	2. Domesticity for the Uninitiated

**Domesticity for the Uninitiated **

* * *

The sun is just starting to edge past the horizon when Anna shuffles through her apartment door. She slumps against it, fingers coming up to tug her beanie off by an earflap.

Stupid lavellan. It had taken forever just to cajole him out of the icy river he was in, and then getting him into the cage for relocation had proved to be even more difficult. Anna decided to just tranq the little bastard after he made her fall into the water during an escape attempt. The call she made to the Guild confirming his new location was short and clipped, belying her exhaustion. Merida better have a damn good explanation for why she wasn't on call, bear or no.

Anna's hoping to take a warm shower and maybe crawl back under her covers for another hour before she has to go to school. She pushes off the door and heads down the entryway to the kitchen, wanting to get some water before locking herself away in her room.

As she's rounding the corner, she sees a metallic object swinging towards her. Normally she'd just roll out of the way with ease, but her coordination is shot from three cases in as many days. The best she can manage is to sort of stumble over her feet until her butt hits the ground. The object _whooshes_ through the air where her shoulder would have been.

Prepared for a fight, she bares her teeth and looks up at her attacker, a hand already going for the knife in her boot.

It's…Elsa?

She's wielding a frying pan in one hand and a phone in the other, looking like she's ready to take another swing when she registers who's in front of her. The blood drains from her already pale face and she nearly drops the pan in surprise.

Anna scrambles up, an indignant finger already pointing in Elsa's direction. "What the hell was that for?" she exclaims, too shocked to try for a more civil tone. "I did _not _come home to be assaulted with cooking utensils!"

Elsa shakes her head frantically. "I thought you were—" her eyes dart to Anna's closed door for a moment before settling back on Anna herself. "And where _were _you?" Her tone is bordering on rude but she's taking in Anna's fresh scratches and completely soaked pants in nothing but interest.

"Don't try to change the subject! You could have dislocated my shoulder," Anna grouses. She'd already had the left one dislocated twice; a third time would just be excessive. She stands and continues, "Look, I don't know how it was at your old place, but I don't keep what you'd call normal hours." Elsa sets the pan and phone down on the table, looking properly chastened.

Anna pinches the bridge of her nose and goes on, "I work odd hours and on my way back to my car, I kind of slipped and fell into a huge puddle." Anna hides a grimace at the embarrassing lie. Unfortunately such lies would have to start becoming commonplace if her trips kept leaving obvious traces on her.

"Oh, I…I'm _really _sorry," Elsa responds after a moment, sounding miserable. "You just caught me by surprise."

For the first time since coming back, Anna takes the time to really look at Elsa. She's dressed like she just got out of bed, hair tied in a loose ponytail at the base of her neck and her face freshly scrubbed. Strangely, she's wearing only a tanktop and some sleep shorts. Huh. Maybe Anna's the only one who slept in a ton of layers during winter. Her whole look is enough to make Anna realize some people don't have to put any effort into looking amazing.

Her anger quickly dissipating, Anna waves away Elsa's apology. "It's fine." She takes a step forward, tempted to take a seat at the table and try to chat with Elsa for a while. A wide yawn dashes the idea, reminding her that she hasn't gotten anywhere near a healthy amount of sleep these last few days. She'd be able to bond with Elsa later, providing the other girl would even be interested. "I'll see you later, okay? My bed is summoning me."

She's almost to her door when she turns around, a smirk tugging on her face. "You've got a pretty good swing. My life will be in your hands on the day we have a real intruder."

Elsa responds with a wobbly smile of her own, eyes lowering in residual embarrassment. They land on her phone and she quickly picks it up. Even after Anna closes her door, she can hear Elsa say, "Rapunzel, are you still there?"

Anna raises an eyebrow, curious despite herself. She takes off her boots and gathers her pajamas slower than usual, wondering what Elsa would tell this Rapunzel.

"How much of that did you hear?" Elsa asks the other person. After a pause she answers, "Yeah…that was my roommate, Anna… _No_, she's not the same—yes, I'm staying calm!" Her voice is defensive and sounds anything but calm. Anna hears her pad to the other side of the apartment, and her voice starts to fade. "It's harder than I thought it would be…" are the last words Anna hears before Elsa's door shuts, presumably so her conversation could _actually _be private.

As Anna works to peel off her soaking pants, she contemplates Elsa's last words. What was harder than she thought? Having a new roommate?

Finally successful in removing her pants, she collapses onto the floor and closes her eyes. Maybe she was being too hard on Elsa. She obviously has some things to work through (seriously, who thinks it's okay to swing frying pans around?), but she's the one coming into a new place in the middle of the semester. Anna's a normally cheerful person but fall break had taken a lot out of her, so maybe her temper is shorter than usual.

Finally dragging her sluggish body off the ground and to the bathroom, she swears a solemn oath that she'll be the best damn roommate Elsa ever has.

* * *

This proves hard to accomplish when she doesn't see her roommate for the rest of the day. School comes and goes and even when she arrives back home, Elsa is out of sight. When the sun sets, the light in Elsa's room comes on and Anna occasionally hears noise from within, but her door stays shut.

Anna drags her homework out to the living room and puts on the tv in hopes of enticing her out. This plan quickly turns south when she ends up falling asleep a few hours later, her papers scattered around her.

Anna's never been what someone would call a _graceful_ sleeper. During the course of the night she had somehow slid off the couch she was on, though a foot is still stubbornly wedged in between the cushions. One arm is cast dramatically across her face and the other is wrapped around her stomach.

She startles awake when her phone's alarm goes off. Rubbing just enough sleep out of her eyes to become temporarily functional, Anna hears movement from within Elsa's room.

With a groan she hoists herself up, a woven blanket sliding off her body. Strange, that definitely hadn't been there when she was awake.

She smiles at Elsa's thoughtfulness. Hoping to return the favor, she shuffles over to Elsa's door and knocks. "Hey, would you like a ride to school?" Anna asks, voice scratchy from sleep. "Since we have the same class I figured it might be more convenient—"

A blast of cold sweeps under the door and hits Anna's feet. "_Shit_," Elsa curses from the other side of the door. "_Goddamn—" _Another gust of air comes through the door crack, this time accompanied by fresh powder.

"Elsa," Anna asks in concern, sidestepping the snow, "Are you okay?"

"No, I—" Elsa responds, sounding distressed. "My window just flew open. I'm fine."

Anna raises an eyebrow. For as long as she's lived here, none of the windows have 'flown open'. Still, if Elsa was trying to get some cool air inside it's possible that the window had somehow broken; Anna's never really tried to open them before and it wouldn't be a surprise to her if they were old and unreliable.

"Do you want help drying anything?" Anna offers, "I can get some extra towels—"

"No," Elsa says sharply. "Just go. I don't think I'm going to Weselton's class today."

Anna frowns. Even if the sound is muffled because of the door between them, she swears Elsa sounds a little shaken up. "Alright, then I guess I'll see you around," Anna says after a moment. "And…thanks for the blanket," she adds softly, a hand pressed flat against the door.

There's no response on Elsa's end. Sighing, Anna turns from the door to get ready for school.

When she steps outside and heads to her car, she's hit by sudden urge to check something out. She goes around to the side of the apartment opposite of where her car is parked. Craning her head up to look at the third story, she finds Elsa's window.

Just like all the others, it's firmly shut.

* * *

Weselton's lecture is agonizing as usual, but at least Kristoff got her a coffee before class.

She pokes him in the ribs with her pencil, causing him to flinch and his own pencil to skitter across his notes. "Thanks again for the java," she whispers.

"If this is the thanks I get, no more coffee for you," he says, erasing the lead trail on his paper. "And you need to tell me about your roommate, don't you? I've been like, _dying _to know." He abandons his paper to stare at her with his chin propped on his hand, batting his eyes expectantly.

"You know it freaks me out when you do your Gossip Girl routine. I'll tell you after class," Anna says, rolling her eyes. He's such a dork sometimes.

"…and that is all the time we have today," Weselton's voice floats through the hall. "Make sure you read pages 120 through 190 by Friday." The class starts packing their notebooks and bundling up in anticipation of the snow still falling outside.

Kristoff gives Anna a victorious smirk. "Well what do you know, class is over."

"I-I have to get to my next class," Anna protests weakly. The two of them wince when they step outside the lecture hall only to be battered by an icy gust of wind.

"Avoidance tactics, Anna. You're using them." he says as he zips up his jacket. "Is she really that bad?"

"Well," Anna hedges uncertainly. "She's not _bad_ per say, just…right there?" She stops dead in her tracks and squints ahead of them. "Wow, it looks like she's actually _talking _to someone."

She speed walks towards Elsa, leaving a protesting Kristoff behind. "Elsa!" she waves once she gets close enough.

Elsa takes an unconscious step back and looks pointedly at the ground. Anna lowers her arm, a sinking feeling developing in her chest. How is this the same girl who put a blanket on her last night? She looks at the person Elsa's with, wondering if she can shed some light on the enigma that is her roommate.

Elsa's companion is a pretty girl with long, blonde hair that's tied up in some elaborate fashion. She's wearing a bright pink jacket and adorable looking earmuffs. In contrast, Elsa's wearing the same gray peacoat as before, along with a pair of dark leggings and boots. The girl takes in Elsa's reaction curiously.

"Hi…" Anna says meekly, and the girl turns towards her. "I'm Anna, Elsa's roommate." Elsa is still a foot back from the two of them, looking like she'd rather be anywhere else.

The girl looks Anna up and down before giving Elsa a shrewd look. "Oh, _this _is Anna," she turns her attention back to Anna with a grin when Elsa violently shakes her head. "I'm Rapunzel, her cousin. Nice to meet you." She extends her hand in greeting, which Anna clasps with her own.

"Good to meet you, too," Anna responds. A troubling smile comes over her face and she leans conspiratorially towards Rapunzel. "Is there anything I should know about Elsa? Any tips you could give me about living with her?"

Elsa finally takes a step forward, joining in on their conversation. "We have to go," she says unapologetically, tugging on Rapunzel's arm. "We need to continue our conversation."

Smile still in place, Rapunzel stays in her spot, looking amused by the whole situation. "She really likes chocolate. Videogames too. And if she acts like a grouch, you should know that she's actually a huge softie—"

"Rapunzel!" Elsa says, looking horrified. "Shut _up_."

Just then, Kristoff bumps against Anna's back. "Hey!" he says brightly to the two other girls. "I'm Kristoff. I take it one of you is rooming with Anna?"

There's a moment of silence while Rapunzel and Anna wait for Elsa to respond in the affirmative. Instead, she glowers at Kristoff like he kicked her puppy. Even though she's not looking in her direction, Anna glowers back. What gives her the right to stare at Kristoff like that when they've just met?

"That would be her," Rapunzel finally speaks up, pointing at her cousin. "I swear she's actually capable of showing emotions when she wants."

Kristoff nods, unbothered by Elsa's lack of reaction. He's about to speak when he suddenly starts windmilling his arms in the air, his feet sliding around beneath him in opposite directions. He tugs hard on Anna's bag to rebalance himself, nearly sending her toppling over as well.

Elsa smirks and a huff of laughter escapes her, sending a cool cloud of air towards the rest of the group.

Rapunzel fixes her with a meaningful glare before looking back at the others. "See…emotions," she says weakly.

Kristoff repositions his arm until it's around Anna's shoulders. "That's the first time I've seen her laugh," Anna grumbles, mood starting to turn sour. Elsa's kind of looking more and more like a huge jerk. She leans into Kristoff, leeching his body heat as best she can.

"I promise you, she's really just shy," Rapunzel says earnestly. Her eyes catch on Kristoff's hand hanging off Anna's shoulder, and her mouth twists in thought. "Just give her some time," she adds after a moment, "I'm sure she'll come around eventually."

"Don't talk to me like I'm not here," Elsa huffs, folding her arms across her chest. "Now let's go."

"It was nice to meet you," Anna smiles at Rapunzel. Why couldn't she room with her instead? She seems nice, friendly, and whatever other generically positive adjectives she was hoping to find in her roommate. Elsa is just…Elsa.

As if proving her point, Elsa ignores the goodbyes and starts walking away. Rapunzel shrugs apologetically at them before catching up with Elsa.

"So that's your roommate," Kristoff muses, rubbing at his chin. He lets go of Anna and the two of them start walking in the same direction as Elsa and Rapunzel. "She's kind of prickly, isn't she?"

Elsa looks back at just the right moment to see Kristoff slip on the ice again, this time falling over completely. Anna catches another smirk grace her features before she turns forward.

Feeling only a little spiteful, Anna says, "I haven't even told you how she almost murdered me with a frying pan yesterday."

* * *

She has the night _completely _off. No scheduled monsters to kill, no extra on call to disrupt her sleep. Instead, Kristoff and Merida are on tonight, along with a couple of the others. Heh, suckers.

Anna doesn't know what to do with her free time. Sure, it's a Wednesday night so she's kind of limited on her options. Maybe she could order some Chinese and catch up on her dramas. Oh, or maybe she could start that really thick, intimidating book that's been gathering dust on her shelf for the last month.

Pondering her options, she crosses the threshold of her apartment. The smell hits her first, causing her to lose her train of thought. She quietly closes the door, wondering what could possibly be causing the odor. Of course, the answer is obvious but she refuses to acknowledge that Elsa is—

Anna jumps into the kitchen. "What are you doing?" she suddenly asks.

Elsa's back is turned towards her and it looks like she jumps a few good inches into the air. She curses under her breath and spins to Anna, who has an innocent smile on her face. "I'm cooking," Elsa says defensively, pointing a finger at the ragged apron around her neck. "Why did you have to sneak up on me?"

Anna ignores her rather hypocritical question and focuses on the countertop Elsa is working at. "Oh my god," she breathes, having forgotten that she's supposed to dislike her roommate. To the side of her is a colorful arrangement of vegetables, ranging from peppers to carrots to potatoes. Fluffy white rice is already finished cooking and it looks like Elsa is about to chop up some chicken. "How do you know how to _cook_?" That is _not _fair.

Anna's grown up on microwaveable food and takeout, having neither the time or money to really get into cooking. Up until this moment, she's been totally fine with that lifestyle choice. But in the face of this…this _bounty_, she realizes how much she's been missing out on.

Unable to help herself, Anna pokes her head over Elsa's shoulder, causing the other girl to stiffen. "You should thaw the chicken before cutting it," she points out sagely, as if she knows anything about cooking.

Elsa shakes her head in annoyance and moves just enough to block Anna's view of the food. "It _was_ thawed—" she mutters before stopping herself. She sighs and composes herself before looking back at Anna. "Would you like any? It'll have to be vegetarian since the chicken won't thaw in time," she adds reluctantly.

Anna gapes at her, not expecting her to actually share anything considering their previous interactions. Elsa shifts her weight from side to side as she waits for an answer. "You don't have to—"

"I'd love some!" Anna says happily, a goofy grin on her face. "Thank you! That's so nice."

Elsa leans back, obviously not expecting such a reaction. Her cheeks pinken and she looks close to smiling until her eyes catch something on Anna's body. Cooking forgotten, she steps forward. "What happened to your neck?" she asks, sounding more concerned than Anna would think possible.

Anna freezes, unsure of what she's talking about. "What?" she asks self-consciously, "Is there something on it?"

Elsa takes another step forward, coming into Anna's personal space. Her eyes find Anna's and her gaze is a bit…_intense_. Anna feels a finger gently trace the skin from the back of her neck where it meets the shoulder, all the way down to her collarbone, almost forming a 'C'.

Immediately Elsa backs up until she hits the counter. "S-sorry. I didn't mean to touch—"

"Umm, it's okay," Anna says, a little dazed herself. No one had touched her like that since…well, _Hans._ It actually felt pretty nice. She raises her hand to her neck and feels the skin Elsa had wondered about. It's an old scar, thin and silver, one that she had gotten before she had an adequate amount of healing supplies. She can't even remember what creature gave it to her, just that it must have been one of the first ones she had gone solo against.

Normally she had her hair in its usual twin braids, which would cover it. But today she hadn't bothered doing anything with her hair and it hung in loose waves past her shoulders. She thinks of something to tell Elsa, who's still staring at her from the other side of the kitchen.

"It was a long time ago, I don't really remember," she answers vaguely. "I probably just got scratched by something." Well, at least that wasn't much of a lie.

Elsa nods like the explanation makes sense and offers her a shy smile. "Between this and your soaked pants, I take it you're a bit clumsy."

_Actually, I'm the picture of sophisticated grace_, Anna thinks. She knows how to jump, flip, and dodge creatures without injuring herself. Walking on ice is almost second nature to her, as is climbing trees and balancing precariously on objects. Of course, it wouldn't make sense for her to tell Elsa any of that, so she grits her teeth and says, "Yep, sometimes it seems like I can barely walk in a straight line without getting hurt."

Elsa's smile becomes a little broader before she goes back to her cooking. Anna takes the following silence as a cue to go to her room and change out of her school clothes and into something more comfortable. In the privacy of her room, she wonders why Elsa is suddenly being nice to her. The girl seems to run hot and cold—one moment laughing at her best friend and the next offering her food.

Still thinking about this as she heads back into the kitchen, she sits at one of the table's chairs behind Elsa and watches her cook for a moment. "Elsa," she says since she knows it will bother her if she doesn't ask, "why do you dislike Kristoff? Do you guys have some kind of secret history I'm not aware of?"

Elsa stills for a second before going back to her pan of vegetables. "I don't dislike him," she says carefully. "I've only met him once."

"Oh," well there goes the theory that Kristoff had somehow wronged her in the past. "It just seems like you were…well, _different_ earlier, when we talked to you and Rapunzel."

"Anna, I…" Her shoulders tense up but she doesn't turn away from her food. "This whole move has just been more stressful on me than I thought it would be. I'm still trying to wrap my head around the fact that _you're _my roommate of all people, and—"

Anna's ears perk up at that. "Wait, what does that mean?" she asks, now wondering if _she_ and Elsa have a history she doesn't know about.

"N-nothing, I just meant that you are—and I…" she says haltingly before starting over, "It's just strange because we're in the same class. That's strange, right?"

Even though Anna had the same thought earlier, all she can do is shrug. "I suppose so," she says dubiously, since she thinks Elsa meant to say something completely different.

"Right! It's strange," Elsa repeats firmly. "And the food's ready."

Shoving aside her curiosity, she crowds Elsa again, a plate already in her hand. "I won't take too much," she promises, though she's practically salivating at the sight of all the food in front of her.

Elsa smiles again. "Take however much you want." She scoops some food onto a plate of her own and takes the seat across from Anna.

Anna takes a more modest serving than she would like and digs in. A moan escapes her and she practically melts in a puddle of how amazing it all tastes. "This is _awesome_," she informs Elsa, who's now looking at her with wide eyes.

"Thanks, but it's just rice, vegetables, and some spices," Elsa says once she shakes herself out of her reverie. "Nothing special."

"Have you seen the freezer?" Anna retorts. "It's full of crappy, microwave-safe blocks of carbs. Maybe I'm easy to impress, but this is delicious and you can't tell me otherwise."

That shuts Elsa up and the rest of the meal passes by in silence until it's time to do the dishes. Anna has to actually pry Elsa's empty plate out of her hand so she can wash it. "It's an exchange," she says over Elsa's protests. "You cooked and now I'll do the cleaning."

It ends in a compromise. For whatever reason, it seems to terrify Elsa that Anna might break one of her dishes (actually, that's probably because she just 'confessed' her clumsiness). Still, Elsa insists on drying the plates and cups handed to her by Anna.

To be honest, Anna thinks she can get used to this. Shared cooking, a playful argument about the dishes…these are more along the lines of what Anna had hoped to experience when she wrote up her advertisement.

Elsa seems happier too, as if a weight has been taken off her shoulders. Anna still has her doubts about how long this mood will last before she goes back to being withdrawn, but she decides to enjoy it while she can.

Anna bids her goodnight after all the dishes are done, feeling full and sleepy. It turns out her free night wouldn't be about catching up on shows or books, but just a few more hours of sleep.

Before she hops into bed, she treks over to the bathroom to brush her teeth, inadvertently overhearing the beginning of a conversation coming from Elsa's room. Elsa's voice is light and Anna can imagine a smile on her face when she says,

"Hey, Rapunzel. You were right, I think I'm going to stay."

* * *

**A/N: **If Elsa's personality seems a bit erratic, that's because it's supposed to be. Though it doesn't help that Anna is completely oblivious to Elsa's feelings, which makes things even harder for poor Elsa. I know this is more of a domestic-focused chapter, but I hope you enjoyed it nonetheless!


	3. The Moon Invites the Madness

**A/N: **Hello! Between both summer finals and moving this week, I'm surprised I got any writing done. A quick note- while a full moon technically lasts for only a few moments, it looks full for about three days.

* * *

**The Moon Invites the Madness**

* * *

"Yes, I love this one!" Anna grins, turning the volume up a little more.

In the passenger seat, Elsa is wearing a pained expression. "What…what is this?" she asks after a moment, not sounding as if she'll particularly like the answer.

"This is Ellie Goulding! Don't pretend like this song isn't catchy as hell," Anna shoots back. One of her hands taps rhythmically against the steering wheel.

"Yeah, well so is syphilis," Elsa mutters, actually _cringing_ when Anna begins to move her shoulders in time with the music.

Anna spares her a pitying glance. "Oh don't tell me you're one of those 'I only listen to moody indie music and am therefore superior to everyone else' types. They're no fun." Elsa simply huffs and folds her arms, which pretty much means she's guilty as charged. "Let me guess…Bon Iver, Elliot Smith, maybe some Arcade Fire for when you don't totally hate the world?"

Out of the corner of her eye, Anna sees Elsa shift in agitation. "We just have different tastes in music, that's all. I like what I like, and you like…" she gestures at the radio with a flip of her hand, "whatever this is."

Thanks to ingesting some foul tasting instant coffee earlier, Anna is too chipper to let Elsa's perceived musical superiority bother her. "This is poppy, catchy music. There's nothing wrong with liking different genres but," she slows to a stop at a red light. "you can't dance like crazy to Skinny Love."

Elsa sighs, obviously knowing she can't win against Anna's infallible logic. "Well, I guess not. But I don't dance in the first—"

"—CHORUS!" Anna yells, making Elsa flinch in surprise. Anna raises her hands above her head and wiggles her hips, mouthing the lyrics to her passenger. "Join in anytime, Elsa."

"Oh god," Elsa mumbles in embarrassment when she catches the commuters next to them staring. "Why is this happening to me?" She brings a hand up to cover her eyes as if the action can turn her invisible.

The song fades away to a commercial break and Anna pouts. Damn, she was sure she could get Elsa to dance to that one.

The two weeks since Elsa moved in had gone well, all things considered. Anna hasn't had any assignments since the lavellan (which is actually not a good thing, but she'll enjoy the break while she can), she's chipping in for groceries in exchange for Elsa cooking dinner for her, and Elsa herself has allowed Anna to chauffer her to class three days a week.

Any reservations Elsa apparently had with living with Anna seem to have gone into remission. While she's still not as bubbly as her cousin, she'll actually smile every now and then at Anna, and feels comfortable enough with her to snark at her music and television choices.

("Whatever," Anna had scoffed back one evening when Elsa walked in on her weekly 'Grey's Anatomy' night, "I caught you watching the Kardashians before you flipped the channel, so you have absolutely no room to talk.")

Elsa actually reminds Anna of a manticore—just like the creature shot quills at its foes, Elsa buffeted her with sarcastic remarks. She almost took offense to the jabs during the first few days until she realized that's just how Elsa is once she's relaxed. Plus, as Rapunzel had told her, Elsa sometimes seems to be softer than she lets on, which is especially apparent in the way her eyes light up whenever she watches Anna eat her cooking.

It's…comfortable, whatever it is they have. It's right on the verge of friendship, probably _would _be friendship except for the odd times Elsa decides to shut her out. Take the one time Elsa forgot to grab her pajama bottoms before she went for a shower. She came out to face Anna wearing only a baggy shirt that just hit the top of her (admittedly gorgeous) thighs. Elsa had slowly backed into her own room and Anna hadn't seen her for three days.

Then there's the fact that she _still _won't sit with her and Kristoff in Weselton's class. Despite saying she has no issues with Kristoff, Elsa has avoided talking to him. Anna's hoping today will be the day that changes, but she's not hedging any bets.

After she finds a decent parking spot, the two of them continue their light bickering all the way to the lecture hall. Sure enough as soon as Kristoff is in sight, the smile on Elsa's face fades away and she's off to the other side of the building.

"What is her deal?" Anna says in exasperation. "Do you stink or something?" She sniffs at Kristoff's fleece jacket. "Actually you do smell a little like wet dog." Anna can easily imagine him rolling around with Sven in the snow right before class.

Kristoff narrows his eyes at her. "Just for that, I'm not going to give you my theory on your roommate." He's never seemed offended that Elsa is avoiding him like the plague, though it bothers Anna enough for the both of them.

"Wait, you have a _theory_?" Anna asks, impressed. "That's more than I have." She just figures Elsa's not a people person—besides the times they drive to school or eat together, Elsa is usually in her room. Who knows, maybe she only puts up with Anna just because they're roommates. Somehow the thought is kind of depressing.

"I do," Kristoff confirms. "But never mind about that right now. There's something much more important going on…" he kicks at a small pile of snow, "the lack of cases."

Anna sighs and leans against the brick of the lecture hall. So it's bothering him, too. "Yeah, I've definitely noticed. Added to the fact that the full moon is tonight…I have a feeling we're about to get slammed."

Anna's father used to tell her, _"Bad things always happen during a full moon."_ It was one of the first lessons she had taken to heart. Her lips thin like they always do when she thinks about him.

"We should watch a movie tonight," Kristoff says suddenly, giving her shoulder a gentle squeeze. "Chill before we have to go out. The moon'll be full all weekend, so we might as well have some fun before work starts up again."

"That sounds like a good idea," she pushes aside her memories and gives him a grateful smile. "Where do you want to meet up?"

Kristoff suddenly looks shifty. "Actually…would your place be alright? I hosted last time."

Anna runs through it in her head. She'd have to let Elsa know, but it shouldn't be that big of a deal. If she still wanted to avoid Kristoff, she could stay in her room. "That works," Anna says after a moment. "Sven can come too."

"Pssh, like he wasn't going to come anyways," Kristoff says breezily. His eyes zero in on the shirt under Anna's jacket and his hand comes back up to tug gently on its collar. "When are you going to stop wearing my clothes?"

Anna looks down at the green and black flannel. "Maybe when you stop offering them to me? Seriously, these shirts are awesome. Plus you've already broken them in so they're extra soft." A jacket, a flannel shirt, and a pair of skinny jeans were all she usually wore during school nowadays.

Kristoff chuckles and puts his hand around Anna's neck to bring her in for a noogie, ignoring her protests. "That's because I've been giving you all the ones I grew out of like four years ago, leech."

"YOU TWO," the familiarly annoying voice of their professor catches their attention and they look over at the hall's entrance. Weselton is staring right at them with a strangely narrowed gaze. "Yes, you! Stop flirting and get inside my classroom unless you want an absence for the day!"

The other students filtering into the class look at them in amusement and Anna thinks she sees a flash of white-blonde hair go by. Kristoff immediately lets go of Anna to stand a safe distance away. "Spoken like a man who's never gone on a date," he mutters under his breath as he and Anna hurry up the steps.

On the last step, Kristoff's foot slips backwards and it's only his proximity to the handrail that keeps him from hitting the ground. Anna barely restrains a laugh at the look of frustrated confusion on his face. "Why are you suddenly slipping on ice everywhere?" she asks as they settle into their usual seats. "You're a hunter, this is starting to get embarrassing."

* * *

Once class is finished, Anna waves goodbye to Kristoff and hurries to catch up with her roommate. "Hey, Elsa!"

Elsa turns around with an eyebrow raised before she continues walking. "Yes?" she says almost impatiently. There it is again, her occasional 'Ice Queen' persona, the one that was present in their first few interactions. Anna doesn't know what she's doing (if anything) to make Elsa retreat back into her moody shell.

"I just wanted you to know that Kristoff is coming over for a bit tonight. We're going to watch a movie, though I don't know which one yet," she starts, unsure of how Elsa will react.

Elsa stuffs her hands in her pockets. "Okay?" she asks as if wondering how this news concerns her.

"I…I think it would be cool if you watched it with us," Anna says, biting her lip once the words spill out. That wasn't supposed to be part of the plan. But if she's being honest with herself, she really does want Elsa to at least _tolerate _Kristoff (plus it'd be the first time she and Elsa would be together outside of dinners and car rides).

Elsa stops abruptly, causing the student behind her to nearly bump into her. Anna quickly moves in front of her to avoid blocking the flow of walkers. Elsa…doesn't look happy. A grimace is pulling at her mouth as she thinks about the offer. In response, Anna puts on her best puppy dog eyes, the ones that cause Kristoff to give her almost anything she wants.

Apparently it works; Elsa gives a defeated sigh. "Fine. See you at home." She shoulders past Anna and is off without another word.

Anna looks after her, wondering if that counted as a victory.

* * *

The rest of the day goes by slowly as it usually seems to on Fridays. By the time she, Kristoff, and Sven finally arrive at her place, Anna's about to kick the door down in eagerness.

Instead, she slots her key into the lock like a sane person might, and shoulders her way inside. "And now for the movie!" she says excitedly and with no ado, "I'm thinking _10 Things _or _Mean Girls_. You?"

Kristoff kicks his boots off and looks around the apartment like he hasn't seen it before. "What's up with your heater? It's kinda cold in here," he says, choosing to keep his beanie on. Sven quietly huffs in agreement.

Oh, yeah. _That_. "I have no freaking clue," Anna responds, shrugging out of her jacket. "I had the landlord look at it but he said he couldn't find anything wrong. Sometimes it works, sometimes it half-works. I guess today it's the latter." She's actually gotten used to the unpredictable fluctuations of the heater, though today it's particularly uncomfortable. "Want some hot chocolate to warm you up?"

Kristoff pretends to think about it. "I suppose that'd be nice."

Anna flicks on the kitchen lights and busies herself with her hot chocolate preparations, noting the distinct lack of light from under Elsa's door. "How much cocoa do you want?" she asks Kristoff, who's opted out of sitting at the table. Instead, he's sprawled spread-eagled on the floor like some kind of heathen.

He lifts his head up. "Just the usual amount. And if you have some cinnamon, that'd be awesome." Sven stares dolefully at him and Kristoff chuckles. "And maybe something for Sven?"

"I'll see what I can do," she responds dryly. Since what feels like the beginning of time, she's always kept a tin of dog treats at her place as well as a few high-quality toys tucked in the corner of the living room. She takes the tin out of the cupboard and Sven pads up to her in anticipation, nails clicking against the wood. She lets the dog pick out his own rawhide bone and he bounds back to Kristoff with it, tail wagging in excitement.

Going through the familiar motions of making the hot cocoa is soothing, and the next few minutes pass by in silence until Anna finishes mixing the instant powder (with extra marshmallows, of course) into two mugs of milk. She settles on the floor next to Kristoff, passing him a mug once he sits up. They sit quietly together, occasionally bumping shoulders, until they finish their respective drinks.

"Do you want me to take a look at your heater?" Kristoff asks. "Or I guess you could stay on my couch tonight. It's not good to sleep here when it's this cold." He stretches out his hand towards her and Anna automatically gives him her own empty mug. Standing slowly, he goes into the kitchen to clean them in the sink.

"I'll be fine," Anna responds, leaning on her hands and stretching her legs out in front of her. "It's not usually this bad. I'm more worried about Elsa—I don't know how sensitive to the cold she is."

As if taking her remark as a cue, Elsa's door opens. She steps out uncertainly, wearing a sweater and the same jeans as earlier. Despite the chill, her feet are bare. "Hi," she says with a small nod once she sees Anna. Kristoff turns the water on in the kitchen and Elsa's eyes slide towards him.

"You remember Kristoff, don't you?" Anna directs towards Elsa. He gives them both a soapy wave in return but Elsa remains silent. "And that's Sven," she adds belatedly. The dog in question is still steadfastly chewing on his bone, blissfully unaware of everything around him.

Just now realizing she's still on the floor, Anna clambers to her feet. Elsa still hasn't moved from her spot by her door so Anna pipes up, "Feel free to join us. Do you have any movie suggestions?"

Elsa shrugs. "Whatever's fine." She heads over to the couch, a look of grim determination coming over her face. Once she's sitting down, she tucks her feet beneath her and presses her entire side into the armrest, as far away from the rest of the couch as possible.

Anna represses a frown. Would this really be such an ordeal for her? If so, why did she agree to the movie in the first place?

Kristoff finishes with the mugs and joins them, sitting on the opposite end of the couch as Elsa. In stark contrast to Elsa's tightly wound body, he splays out comfortably, legs taking up space in front of the couch and an arm coming up to rest against the seat cushions. "Hey," he says simply towards Elsa once he's settled.

Elsa's head turns slightly in his direction, making the tiniest bit of eye contact before muttering a "Hi," of her own.

Well, this is going swimmingly.

Anna stands in front of them with her hands on her hips. "Okay, so what will it be?" If no one else is going to address the awkwardness, Anna won't either.

Elsa stays quiet and Kristoff lazily raises a hand. "I vote for _10 Things_. You've made me watch _Mean Girls _like forty times."

"You make it sound like I held you against your will," Anna retorts as she gets the movie ready. Shortly after her 21st birthday the two of them had watched the movie, drunkenly yelling lines at each other. That night she learned Kristoff had a surprisingly accurate Regina George impression.

Anna flops down on the couch once the sweet sounds of 'Bad Reputation' spill out of the tv and Julia Stiles pulls up in next to a carful of teenyboppers. Kristoff hasn't left her much room and so she scoots a little towards Elsa, who tenses in response and presses herself even further into her armrest.

Anna finds the behavior a little odd, though as she thinks about it, she realizes the only time Elsa's ever touched her was when she was pointing out her scar (and even that seemed to have taken her by surprise). Anna has no such qualms about touching others—she had been raised in such a way that casual touches were the norm, whether they be in learning how to hold a weapon properly or giving her parents a tight hug before they left on an assignment.

Anna can't tell if Elsa's seen the movie before and decides it would be best to be silent while it's on, though she can't help but sneak occasional glances at her. The blonde is extremely still through the beginning of the film, as if moving even slightly might have some great consequence. And even though Anna never looks directly at her, the lines of tension running through Elsa are clear as day—from the way her hand is tightly gripping the armrest to how her elbow is pressed tightly against her side. Underneath the pale skin of her face, her jaw seems to be clamped shut. Perhaps she _is_ forcing herself to stay out of politeness, or maybe she's just much shyer than Anna had previously thought.

Wanting to give her some breathing room, Anna shifts slightly towards Kristoff. Maybe the movie itself would get her to loosen up—who didn't like _10 Things I Hate About You_?

Kristoff grins throughout the movie, chuckling at the antics of the characters on screen. It doesn't take long for Anna to join him. Even though she's seen the movie countless times, it never fails to be entertaining. Elsa eventually shifts slightly, releasing her death-grip on the armrest. By the time Heath Ledger is crooning 'Can't Take My Eyes Off You', she's sitting cross-legged and her shoulders are loose. Even the apartment seems a little warmer, though that could be the hot chocolate speaking.

But the atmosphere, at least for Anna and Kristoff, soon shifts once the sun goes down. The two exchange a glance and one of Anna's legs begins to bounce restlessly. Kristoff puts a calming hand on her knee, only to take it off when Elsa shoots the two of them a look.

Still, Anna can't help but be anxious. It feels like her pager will go off in any second, signaling a long and probably painful weekend ahead of her. When her leg starts bobbing again, Kristoff silently gets Sven's attention and tilts his head toward Anna. Obediently, Sven comes over and sits on her feet. Kristoff grins and reaches down to pat him, but when he comes back up Anna can see that he's just as tense as she is.

Kristoff's pager beeps right when an argument is about to break out at prom, causing all three of them to jump. He glances down at it and pulls a face before discreetly showing it to Anna.

_Mon. d. worm, 4 ft, 28.37°, 81.55°, reloc_

Anna bites her lip to keep from laughing at his misfortune. But really, a Mongolian death worm? Despite the name they weren't too terribly dangerous, but relocating one would be messy and time consuming. Kristoff would probably be out most of the night.

But before she can silently make fun of his assignment, her own pager goes off. Out of the corner of her eye, she sees Elsa twist to get a better view of them, probably wondering what was up with the interruptions. Anna unclips the pager from her jeans and stands up to read it so it's out of Elsa's view.

_Mapinguari, 5ft, 27.37°, 83.43° _

Her eyes widen. Holy _shit_. Mapinguaris weren't supposed to be seen at all during the winter and even in the summer they were pretty rare. The full moon indeed brought out all the monsters.

She jerks her head back up. "We have to get going," she says to Elsa apologetically. "Duty calls."

Elsa looks between her and Kristoff, confused. "You work together too?" she asks, but as soon as she says it she stares down at her hands. Anna feels a twinge of something go through her, something that seems like guilt. She feels like she's abandoning Elsa but at the same time she can't delay at all—the GPS coordinates were too close to the edge of town for her comfort.

"Yeah, when we need to. Most of the time we're doing separate things," Anna answers carefully before going into her bedroom and digging through her closet for what she'll need. Her bow and arrows are already in her trunk but she adds a couple of daggers, some tranquilizer darts, a fresh can of mace, and her trusty net gun.

The last thing she grabs before she leaves her room is her black leather jacket. It may not be as warm as her other coats, but it looks damn cool and is better at taking a beating. She comes back out a couple minutes later, pulling her duffel's strap over her shoulder.

Kristoff is milling around with Sven, clearly not wanting or needing to leave right away. He gives Anna an expectant look and she shows him her pager with a smug look.

"That is _not _fair," he groans, pushing her hand away in disgust. "Not fair at all." He grabs his boots and like a petulant child, sits on the floor and pouts as he puts them on.

Anna turns towards Elsa, her smugness turning into a genuine smile. "Thanks for watching the movie with us, even if we didn't really finish. I'll probably be back in a few hours." While she had only fought one mapinguari in the past, it was one of her easier assignments. One shot through the eye should be all it takes, though tracking it down might be a bit difficult. And if it decided to put up a fight…well, things might get nasty.

Elsa's eyes seem to be caught on her jacket, and she blinks before looking at Anna's face. She registers the words and frowns. "What exactly do you do?" she asks, not sounding very happy.

Quickly grabbing a bottle of water before heading towards the front door, Anna feigns momentary deafness. "What was that?"

Elsa follows them towards the door. "I said—"

"—See you later, Elsa!" Anna waves over her shoulder before opening the door and stepping outside with Kristoff and Sven.

Kristoff fails to contain his smirk, which remains steadfastly present even after the walk to their cars. "What?" Anna finally asks, annoyed.

"I know why Elsa doesn't like me," he says with supreme satisfaction. "And it is _good_."

"Congratulations," Anna deadpans. She tosses her duffel into the passenger seat and leans against the door. "Well?" she prompts after a moment of silence. "Are you going to tell me?"

He gives her a shrewd look of consideration. "Only if we switch assignments," he decides.

Anna laughs, "Not a chance, Mr. Death Worm. Have an awesome night." With that, she gets in her car and reverses out of the parking lot, leaving a disgruntled friend behind.

* * *

She doesn't even have time to finish pulling her arrow out of the mapinguari's head when she gets her next page.

_Amomongo, 5ft, 27.37°, 83.43°_

"Are you kidding me?" she mutters in disbelief. "What is with these apes?" But something about the message nags her and she checks it again instead of putting it away.

The coordinates. They're exactly the same as the mapinguari.

She doesn't even have time to curse when the amomongo slams into her, having been waiting in the tree above.

Her bones creak at the unexpected weight on top of them, and yep, her left shoulder's popped out of its socket. The breath's knocked out of her for a moment and she thinks a rib might be broken. Her fingers scrabble at the ground, trying to grab anything—her arrows, the mace, a goddamn _rock_—that's in reach.

Nothing. There's nothing but snow and a corpse that's too far away.

The amomongo is _pissed_, and one of his hands yanks her around by her bad shoulder so he can scream at her face. Anna snarls back out of pain but her new position is one she can use to her advantage.

The creature doesn't offer her much chance though; thick, black fingers come up around her mouth and throat, squeezing hard enough to ache. She struggles for breath, her own good hand desperately reaching down past the hem of her jeans and towards her boot. The tips of her fingers brush the dagger there and she grasps it as stars begin to explode behind her eyes.

Bringing it up, she plunges the blade into the creature's jugular, yanks it out, and stabs him in the chest. Hot blood splashes across her face and jacket but the creature lets go of her, roaring in pain.

Anna takes a gasping inhale, rib twinging in agitation. She takes another one for good measure and walks the two steps towards the mapinguari to pull her arrow out. The amomongo twitches pathetically nearby, slowly bleeding out.

Still, Anna's not going to wait and see if he'll have a dying spurt of energy. Since she can't pull back her bow in her current condition, she uses the arrow as another dagger, thrusting it into his eye until she feels the arrowhead scrape against the back of his skull.

Backing up until she feels a tree against her, she slides down onto the ground. Her wheezing continues even as she calls Cleanup. "I've got both the mapinguari and amomongo," she says, voice nothing but a harsh whisper. "Yes, _both_. Tell Recon to get their shit together; it's their job to let me know a creature's around _before _it's literally on top of me."

She hangs up and focuses her attention on her shoulder. Grabbing it, she slams it back into its socket before she has time to hesitate. The scream that comes out is more frustration than pain.

She fucking _hates _the full moon.

* * *

When she comes through her apartment door later, she knows she doesn't look very good. Her left arm's cradled gingerly against her chest even though her rib is adamantly against the action. She managed to wipe most of the blood off her in the car but there's still some in her hair and under her fingernails. Bruises will soon be forming across her lower face and neck. Though as always, her jacket managed to pull through without any substantial damage.

All she wants is a hot shower and some good medicine, maybe even a meager amount of sleep before her next assignment comes up. What she doesn't want is a confrontation with Elsa, which unfortunately seems likely seeing as she's standing in the living room, hands folded over her chest. But whatever indignation she might have had over Anna ditching her and then coming back late dissipate when she takes in Anna's appearance.

"What…what happened to you?" Elsa asks, eyes raking over every inch of Anna's figure. "Do you need to go to the hospital?"

Anna gives her a lopsided shrug. "Nah, I'm fine." Well, at least her voice is starting to come back. "I ahh…I fell." Yep, the lie's awful.

Elsa's shaking her head like she wants to argue, but Anna continues, "I need to get some sleep. See you in the morning, okay?" By then, her healing supplies will have taken care of the deeper injuries, though she'll probably have to put cover-up on her bruises.

"Anna, wait—" Elsa's hand touches her bad shoulder, causing Anna's teeth to sink into her bottom lip to prevent her from hissing in pain. Instead, she steps away just enough to break Elsa's hold. She looks up into her face, somewhat surprised to see the worry so clearly etched across her features. "I just wanted…I made salmon tonight," Elsa says quietly. "There's leftovers in the fridge."

Despite her stiff behavior earlier it seems like Elsa does indeed have a bit of a soft spot, at least where Anna's stomach is concerned. Anna gives her a wobbly grin. "Thanks. You're the best."

* * *

The rest of the weekend passes by in blur of assignments. Most of them are relatively benign, involving creatures who just require relocation away from the human population. But even then, it's rare for her to finish an assignment in pristine condition. In the past this had never been much of a problem, as she had the privacy of her own place. But Elsa changed things.

While Elsa had been concerned that first night, she quickly became concerned and _frustrated _by Anna's injuries and the subsequent lack of explanation.

Take the time Anna came back from dealing with a demon-possessed coyote, which gave her a bloody leg and another rip in her jeans. "I fell."

Or the triffid, which had wrapped its poisonous tongue around her arm, leaving a winding welt from elbow to fingers. "I fell."

Even the baby cockatrice's talons had managed to give her three parallel scratches down the side of her face. "I um…fell?"

That had been the last straw for Elsa. "Fine!" she yells, throwing her arms in the air. "You're out _all night_ and then keep coming home like this, yet you want me to believe you keep falling?" A hand raises to rake through her hair, and she comes close to Anna, eyes imploring. "Just tell me what's going on, _please._"

The look Elsa gives her is almost enough for Anna to spill the beans. Then she remembers these beans were 'I hunt magical creatures for a living. Coincidentally, _never _go into the woods'. So she shuts herself in her room instead, preferring not to confront Elsa at all.

She hears Elsa slam the front door a few minutes later, obviously wanting to be away from the apartment and her strange, perpetually lying roommate.

_This whole situation sucks, _Anna concludes. She should have come up with some sort of cover story that could explain away her injuries and odd hours. But what could that possibly be, mafia enforcer? Up and coming street fighter? Maybe Kristoff could help her establish something that sounds halfway legitimate, or at least give her lessons on how to lie better. He was right when he said living with normal people sucked.

Right when Anna is sneaking out of her room for a snack, Elsa barges back through the door. Her pale cheeks are a startling pink, as if she's been running in the snow. Her windswept hair has half-melted snowflakes in it and she's actively _glaring _at Anna.

Anna carefully puts her box of cereal down, feeling hot under Elsa's scrutiny. "Look," Elsa starts, coming to stand at the opposite end of the table, "whatever it is you're doing, I need to know. I understand that we're not all that close, but seeing you come through the door like that, even if you do seem to heal quickly…I don't like it."

"Then don't worry about it," the words leave Anna's mouth without her permission. But dammit, she doesn't want to fight with Elsa, not over something she can't possibly be honest with her about. And why would Elsa care so much anyways? Just because they shared the occasional dinner or car ride didn't mean they were friends.

Elsa's eyes widen. "Seriously? I shouldn't be worried that nearly every time you've walked through the door this weekend, you've been bruised and bloodied?"

Anna puts an arrogant tilt in her chin. "_Yes_. I'd rather you just stay out of my business. This has nothing to do with you."

"I…" Elsa pauses, at a loss of words. In a voice that's close to a whisper, she says, "I'm concerned about you, that's all."

Anna tries to think of a possible response to such a statement when her pager beeps. Elsa flinches at the sound, lips thinning. "You're going again, aren't you?" She sounds like she's ready for another round of arguing.

Out of habit and despite Elsa trying to speak to her, Anna looks down at her pager.

_Sigbin, 4ft, 26.34°, 82.43°_

Her blood runs cold in her veins and her combativeness instantly changes to dread.

_No._

Elsa's still talking to her but it sounds like she's underwater. "I need to leave," Anna says mechanically, cutting her off mid-sentence.

"You are _not _going out again!" Elsa says in disbelief.

Anna doesn't answer, just goes into her room to grab her duffel before coming back out. She's on autopilot, mind already focusing on what she'll have to deal with tonight.

"…Anna. _Anna_," Elsa's trying to talk to her again, or get her to listen to reason. "Would you just—"

"Leave it, Elsa," Anna snaps, tension coloring her words. "Just stop." She puts on her shoes and heads outside, ignoring the chill in the air.

She has bigger things to worry about.

* * *

Though it's not known to many, Arendelle has a surprising number of caves. They're not very deep, but they're plenty dark and private enough for those who wish to dwell in them.

Anna's headlamp sweeps the cave's entrance and she takes a careful step inside.

The odor is enough to make her gag and her eyes to water. It's a mix of the sigbin's natural (_disgusting_) odor and a scent that she hoped never to come across again. Her hand tightens around the dagger she's holding and she ventures further into the cave, making sure she doesn't fall on the slippery surface. The stench only becomes stronger the farther she walks, until she feels like she can barely breathe. She brings the crook of her elbow up to cover her nose but even then the odor is too overpowering.

"Where are you, you little bastard?" she murmurs, voice bouncing off the cave's walls. "Just show yourself so I can go take a nice shower already." Talking to herself gives her a small measure of comfort, a little boost of confidence she sorely needs.

Until she steps on something that makes a sickening _squelch_.

Heart beating painfully fast, she looks down at the human arm under her foot. "_Shit—_" she slips in her haste to scramble away from the limb, landing on the rest of the person's body. The relative warmth of the cave compared to the outside made the body decompose quickly, even though he (_he,_ Anna thinks numbly, staring into his empty face) couldn't have been here for more than a few days.

_Exsanguinated_ is the word that comes to mind. Except for the teeth marks near his carotid and a few whip-like lashes on his extremities, the man's as pale as snow, not a single drop of blood left in him.

Anna stands slowly, bracing herself against the cave's wall. In. Out. She breathes deeply, ignoring the smell. In. Out. Ignoring the memories of the first corpse she ever saw. In. Out. Ignoring how her father had looked after she told him—

A whistling sound reverberates through the cave, and Anna lifts her arm to her face just in time for it to be met by the sigbin's tail. The appendage digs deep into her skin before disappearing into the darkness.

The next attack is quieter, aiming for her head. Blood runs across her temple and down her jaw but she manages to grip the tail with her free hand, and in one smooth motion cuts the barbed tip off. The sigbin's answering screech is the sweetest sound she's heard tonight.

The air in front of her glimmers and the sigbin appears before her, no longer invisible. He doesn't look very impressive, having roughly the same appearance as a common goat. His eyes reflect red in Anna's headlamp and he moves slowly towards her, intent on draining her dry. Sigbins move in odd, erratic ways, ways that by all rights should be amusing. But in the damp, dark cave with at least one corpse nearby, Anna sees nothing funny about this situation.

The creature walks backwards, stepping in the drops of blood from his tail. His head dips into his chest, eyes visible between his hind legs. His tail lashes out again but when Anna swipes at it with her dagger, it retreats again.

Anna hurriedly wipes the blood out of her eye and reaches for a second blade in the waistband of her pants. When the sigbin is close enough, she flings the new dagger straight between his legs. His head snaps up, avoiding the weapon, and he turns his neck 180 degrees to look at her.

"Screw this," she mutters before running straight at the creature. His mouth opens, revealing a set of razor-sharp teeth. But before he can clamp his jaw around her, Anna has already set her dagger in between his ribs. Her hands are around his mouth and she wrestles him to the ground.

The creature struggles, tries to buck her off. Anna grimaces as his tail strikes her head again but she holds on, fingers sneaking towards his eyes. Her thumbs find their two targets and plunge inwards as deeply as they can.

He convulses once before a last gasp leaves his mouth. His blood-red tongue lolls out, landing across one of her arms.

Anna rolls off him, panting, and stares at the stalactites on the ceiling.

It takes a long time for her to catch her breath, and even longer for her hands to stop shaking enough to call the Guild.

* * *

Elsa's still up when she comes back. Of _course _she is. She gets to see Anna in all her hunter glory—half of her face is covered in blood and she smells absolutely putrid. Anna ignores her presence, slowly taking off her shoes and jacket.

She should have gone over to Kristoff's tonight. He may have been out hunting, but she has a spare key and would have been granted a modicum of privacy—something she sorely needs after fighting the sigbin. The creature had stirred up all kinds of memories with his presence, memories she would rather not revisit.

"We have class tomorrow," Anna says as she takes her gloves off. Words begin to spill out of her, uncontrolled, only a little hysteric. "Both of us should probably be asleep right now. I know _I _don't want to get on Weselton's bad side again. Did you do the reading? I think he said something about a quiz last—"

"Anna…." Elsa's voice is soft, and Anna can hear a lingering wariness from their last conversation.

"And his quizzes are _hard_, right? Like what kind of professor makes a thirty question quiz? That's got to be against some sort of rule."

"What happened tonight, Anna?" Elsa's not wearing her pajamas. Had she been up waiting for Anna to return?

"And his actual tests are so—" Anna stops talking when she feels Elsa's finger against her cheekbone, wiping a trickle of blood away. Anna nearly buckles at the gesture. "I'm sorry I can't tell you," she whispers, not able to look at Elsa. "I'm not usually like this. I'll be fine by morning, I promise. You're mad at me and I hate that. I know you probably want to yell at me right now but…" her hands ball into fists and her voice cracks, "Can you just…just hug me? Please."

She hears a sharp inhale of breath, feels an exhale smelling of peppermint fan across her face. Elsa's arms are hesitant when they wrap around her back, and she's stiff and uncertain. But it's more than enough for Anna, who leans gratefully into her roommate. Her own hands find Elsa's shirt and hold onto it before slowly sliding around Elsa's waist.

The two remain quiet and soon Elsa melts into the embrace. Anna feels fingers gently combing through her hair and another hand rubbing soothingly up and down her spine. She sighs, face pressed against Elsa's collarbone. This is the most relaxed she's felt since they watched the movie.

Anna pulls back some immeasurable time later, heart finally settled. Elsa's only a foot away, looking down at her with an unreadable expression. Anna's eyes catch on something and she bites her lip self-consciously.

"Sorry," she whispers, staring at the bloodstain she left on Elsa's shirt.

Elsa looks down and a frown comes over her face. Somehow, Anna thinks it isn't because of the stain, but the fact that it's _Anna's blood_. "It's fine," she answers just as quietly. She looks back to Anna. "Will you be alright?"

Anna gives her a small smile. "I'm better already. I'll umm…I'll see you in the morning, okay?"

Elsa nods and walks slowly back to her room, shutting the door softly behind her. Anna opens the door to her room and gathers what she needs to wash up.

When she turns on the shower's spray, she makes sure it's hot enough to burn away everything but the feeling of Elsa's arms around her.

* * *

**A/N: **Sooo...that got a bit darker than I had planned. Next chapter will be lighter, I promise.

Glossary-

**Manticore **(Anna compares Elsa to one)- mythical animal with a human head and face, a lion's body, and a scorpion's tail. Its tail is equipped with quills that it can fire like arrows.

**Mongolian Death Worm** (Kristoff's assignment)- bright red worm that's 2-5 feet in length. It's hard to tell its head from tail as it has no visible eyes or mouth.

**Mapinguari **(Anna's first assignment)- ape-like creature with red fur, one eye, and backward-pointing feet.

**Amomongo **(Anna's second assignment)- hairy, man-sized ape-like creature with long nails.

**Triffid **(creature with poisonous tongue)- from John Wyndham's The Day of the Triffids. It is a tall, carnivorous, and venomous plant.

**Cockatrice **(creature that gives Anna three marks down her face)- winged reptile with the head of a rooster.

**Sigbin **(Anna's last assignment)- resembles a hornless goat and has a tail that it uses like a whip. It is said to come out at night to suck the blood of victims from their shadows.


	4. Aim for the Heart

**A/N: ***checks watch* this still counts as the weekend, right? Since one reviewer brought this up, I thought I would address something from the last chapter: Anna's parents weren't killed by a sigbin; she just knows that where a sigbin is, a corpse is sure to be nearby. And as established...Anna doesn't really like dead bodies (not that I blame her).

After the last chapter's heaviness, I decided to 'lighten the mood', so to speak, with this one. Thanks for all the great reviews, they act as really good motivation!

* * *

**Aim for the Heart**

* * *

"Hmm, I like this one," Anna says in consideration, about to tweak the volume knob on the radio before changing her mind.

In the passenger seat, Elsa stares blankly at the road stretching out in front of them. She hums in what could be agreement, but Anna doesn't think she's really listening.

"Y'know," Anna pushes on, "I really don't understand why universities don't have snow days. I mean look at this!" She gestures to the ice on the road and the wiper blades furiously fighting against a mass of snowflakes. "It looks like freaking Hoth out here and yet we're supposed to risk our lives for a checkmark on the attendance sheet."

Elsa glances at her for a moment before turning towards the window. "There are things more dangerous than this," she murmurs at the window.

Anna bites her lip. Shit, Elsa's not happy.

Last night had apparently made things a bit tense between them.

While Anna's creams and ointments had mostly healed her, there's no cure for painful memories. Those are difficult to deal with whenever she came across a dead body, last night having been no exception. When she came back home, she was a wreck.

Thankfully, Elsa was there to help put her back together. Anna knew, even as she asked for that hug, that there was a chance Elsa wouldn't do it. If her behavior during the movie was any indication, she seemed like she wasn't much of a touchy-feely person. But she barely even _hesitated _before wrapping her arms around her, which honestly made the hug all the more gratifying.

Anna hadn't gotten much sleep after that, too nervous about what she might dream about. Instead, she rolled out of bed early and drank two huge mugs of coffee while waiting for Elsa to get up. When Elsa came out of her room, she had passed Anna without acknowledging last night in any shape or form. Actually, she hardly acknowledged Anna at all.

And now here they are, partaking in the most awkward car ride in history.

By the time they've parked, Anna feels like trying to outrun the tension between them. It's just _hanging _there—present in the tense set of Elsa's shoulders and Anna's white knuckled fists hidden in her pockets.

This is the first time she's glad Elsa's avoiding Kristoff; the two part ways when he comes into sight.

"You okay?" Kristoff asks when Anna nearly collapses against the building's wall. "Rough weekend?" He has a fading bruise around one of his eyes and a cut on his chin that could either be from a monster or a bad shaving job.

"The worst," Anna groans. "And I think I freaked Elsa out. She won't talk to me at all." Not that Anna blames her—this weekend was a bit weird, to put it extremely mildly. From an outsider's perspective it was probably downright crazy.

Kristoff squints at her in thought. "Did you give her an alibi for your injuries?"

"I just told her I fell a lot," she says with a shrug. What the hell was she supposed to say? Apparently something better, seeing as Kristoff's looking at her incredulously. "Wait, what did you tell your old roommate?"

"I said I worked at a wild animal rescue," he says like it's the most obvious thing in the world. "My job was to bring injured animals in, which is why I might sometimes come back injured or smelly."

"Wild animal rescue…" Anna echoes thoughtfully. That's a pretty good cover. And kind of ironic, seeing as they killed almost as many creatures as they relocated. "I could still tell her that, right? Like, 'I fell _at _work, and for some stupid reason I never felt the need to tell you anything more.'" _'Because I'm a thoughtless idiot,' _she silently tacks on.

"Jesus, you're bad at lying," Kristoff sighs. Anna doesn't even bother protesting—he's obviously right. They walk towards the classroom doors, Kristoff taking each step as carefully as possible. "I'll fix this for you, but you seriously should have told her something that made more sense."

Ever since he was sixteen, Kristoff had to become a skilled liar out of necessity—constantly explaining his emancipation and his parents' absence had molded him into someone who could spin a believable story with ease. Living with a normal roommate last year had apparently sharpened those talents even more.

Anna glowers at him. "I was too busy trying not to die to really focus on an alibi this weekend." She thinks about telling him what happened in the cave, but she holds back. Now, right before class, isn't the right time to bring it up.

The two take their usual back row seats, Anna propping her legs up on the chair in front of her. Someone sits next to her, bumping their knee against her own.

She turns to see who it is, only to be staring at Elsa. She doesn't look at Anna at all, just pulls out her notebook and readies herself for class. Even though she can't see it, Anna beams at the other woman. She doesn't know why Elsa would suddenly want to sit next to her (especially considering this weekend), but she's not going to question it.

Instead, she elbows Kristoff in the ribs and tilts her head towards Elsa. He raises an eyebrow in surprise. Leaning in, he whispers, "Just follow my lead." In a louder, casual voice he says, "Last night sucked, right?"

Out of the corner of her eye, she sees Elsa still. Pretending to not see her, Anna nods. "Yeah, it was a rough one. Actually, this whole weekend sucked." Well, nothing of a lie there.

"You should know that the fox is doing fine now. Doc said she could be released back into the wild sometime in the next few weeks." He gives her a light, encouraging punch on the shoulder. "Way to go, champ."

Elsa shifts towards them, eyebrows drawn in confusion "What fox?" she asks Kristoff. There's a _want _in the simple question, a want to finally get some answers after days of evasion from Anna.

Kristoff leans over Anna, pretending like he just now noticed the other woman. "Oh, hey Elsa. Did Anna not tell you what we do?" At Elsa's head shake, he continues, "We both work at a wild animal rescue just outside town. Last night Anna brought in an injured female fox. Turns out, she was pregnant and a bit more aggressive than usual. What else was there? A coyote on Friday, raccoon on Saturday—"

"An owl, too," Anna adds, hoping her voice isn't going to give her away. "That's what gave me the slash marks."

"Why…why wouldn't you just tell me?" Elsa asks Anna, only sparing Kristoff the slightest of glances before focusing entirely on Anna. She looks hurt, as if wondering why she hasn't earned Anna's trust about something so simple.

"I…it's hard to talk about sometimes," Anna says weakly, not really able to meet Elsa's gaze. "Sometimes you see things in the forest you don't want to." Another truth, one that would hopefully prevent Elsa from asking why she needed a hug last night. "And I actually do fall a lot," she says. "Animals aren't exactly friendly when you're trying to capture them."

"There's also confidentiality papers," Kristoff chimes in helpfully. "If the animal is popular amongst hunters, we're not supposed to talk about it."

Damn, he's good. Anna knows lying so convincingly isn't something he enjoys, but it's a skill she wishes she possessed. He's just laid down the groundwork for all future excuses she can tell involving her assignments, and did so with ease.

For her part, Elsa seems pretty convinced and also relieved (her initial assumptions about Anna were probably not very flattering). She takes in Anna with fresh eyes, re-cataloguing her injuries—the previously mysterious bruise on her arm becomes a fall in the forest, the cuts on her neck turn into an animal attack.

"One other thing," Kristoff continues, a troubling glint entering his eyes. "You should totally come to the range with us this weekend. It should be pretty fun."

Anna swings her head around to give him a questioning look. This is the first time she's heard of going to the range—she had assumed they would just hang out at home. And why is he inviting Elsa to one of the places they hone their hunting skills?

Elsa seems a bit taken aback as well. "Like…a gun range?" she asks uncertainly.

"It's mostly for archery," Anna answers obligingly. "You should come," she decides after a pause. With everything she put Elsa through, she thinks it'd be nice to spend some time with her outside the apartment. "It's really fun and I can teach you how to be the next Katniss Everdeen if you want. I'm kind of awesome with the bow," she adds in a totally modest fashion.

Elsa considers it, looking intrigued by the idea. "I suppose that sounds good," she finally says just as Weselton closes the doors and begins the long walk to his lectern.

Kristoff beams. "Great! This Saturday at one. Anna can drive you."

For the first time ever, Elsa actually levels a _smile _at him in response before turning her attention to the professor. Huh. Maybe the two of them could get along after all. Still, the invitation was completely out of the blue. She almost wonders if Kristoff has some sinister plan up his sleeve. But when she looks at him, he just gives her an angelic smile. Anna narrows her eyes in suspicion.

Weselton taps on his lectern and clears his throat, gaining the attention of his class. "Today we will be looking at some of the core beliefs of constructivism and how they fit into international relations…" he begins, already settling into a monotonous drone.

Anna sighs deeply, staring at the blank paper in front of her. She is suddenly _not _in the mood for this class. She rubs at her eyes, hoping she can stay awake for the class period. The coffee she had earlier has already burned up into nothing and she's back to being tired. Weselton's voice certainly isn't helping either. At least she was apparently wrong about there being a quiz.

When she starts nodding off somewhere around talk of regulative versus constitutive rules, she knows she's in trouble. Judging by the way Elsa is completely focused on the professor, only looking between him and her notes, she doesn't notice Anna's problem. Usually, she and Kristoff have a complex system of poking each other when one of them begins falling asleep in class. But today Kristoff is just as tired as she is, having been equally busy during the full moon. So when her head slumps onto his shoulder he doesn't move, just murmurs tiredly.

Before she knows it, she's jerking awake to a sound she dreads—Weselton's nasally voice directed at her. For once, he left his lectern for the rare opportunity of an up close and personal reprimand. He's standing right next to Elsa, practically leaning over her to yell at her and Kristoff.

"—and you two are the most disrespectful students I have ever had! You should be embarrassed and ashamed of yourselves. Since you are so bored by the material, perhaps you would like to enlighten the class on a more interesting subject?" He's in fine form today, and Anna's glad she missed the beginning of this scolding. "Or is it that you're deliberately trying to fail my class?"

"No, sir," Anna mumbles. She nudges Kristoff, hoping to wake him up. He blinks slowly in Weselton's direction, not yet conscious enough to know he's in trouble.

Anna's words don't seem to calm the professor down any. Instead, he gets even redder, rearing up for another bout. His hand slaps against Elsa's chair back, causing her to lean in towards Anna. "I don't know what exactly you two were _up to_ this weekend," he says, full of innuendo that makes Anna squirm. "But there are consequences for your actions." At this point he's almost pressing into Elsa's leg, straining to get his face into Anna's personal space. "I demand that you both come to the front of the class and—"

The giant doors of the room _bang _against the walls, letting in a huge flurry of snow. Weselton is right in the center of the powerful breeze, which has a most unexpected result.

In addition to becoming completely covered in snow, the top part of Weselton's hair has flown off completely, revealing to the entire class a particularly shiny, bald head. Weselton himself looks stunned, staring at Kristoff, Elsa, and her as if trying to comprehend what just happened.

Anna turns her lips inwards in an attempt to not laugh. Next to her, Kristoff (who is now alert), breaks the shocked silence in the room by succumbing to a coughing fit that sounds almost gleeful.

"You…" Anna starts, trying to sound completely serious. "You should really make sure to close the doors properly, Professor." Next to her, Kristoff's coughing reaches violent levels. Someone near the front of the class snickers, causing a few people around him to do so as well.

Weselton's nostrils flare but instead of continuing his scolding, he looks around for his toupee. The silver hair piece must be surprisingly aerodynamic, having landed near his lectern at the front of the room.

He makes his walk of shame as quickly as his short legs can take him, snatching the toupee off the ground and squashing it back onto his head. Another round of giggles erupt at the action. The professor stiffens, gazing at his students with a caustic expression. "Class…is dismissed for the day," he says in a voice straining to sound composed.

The students look at each other in surprise but quickly pack up in case he changes his mind. Weselton's eyes stay locked on Anna and her friends as they leave, gaze nearly lethal.

Anna doesn't bother being intimidated by the look since she and everyone else in attendance now have prime blackmail material on their professor. Once she's outside she taps Elsa on the shoulder, grinning broadly. "That was _awesome_. The timing seriously couldn't have been better. Mother Nature obviously hates him just as much as we do."

Elsa turns to look at her, and Anna sees that she doesn't seem as amused as everyone else. Her own smile is strained and tight-lipped. "Yeah, it was funny," she answers in a hollow tone. She wraps her arms around her midsection and trudges on, Anna having to quicken her step to keep up. When she realizes Anna's trying to follow her, she says, "Look, I have to go. I'll see you later, okay?"

"Oh." Anna stops walking, and Elsa continues on without looking back. Is Elsa mad that she was caught sleeping? "Alright then," she says mostly to herself.

She's not by herself for long though—Kristoff slings an arm around her shoulders, the familiar warmth of his body pressing into her side. He's still chortling, the sound bringing out a laugh of Anna's own.

"Best class ever," he nearly sings, raising his free hand over his head in victory. "Getting screamed at was definitely worth it. I must say, I always suspected the guy had a wig or something. That hair was far too luxurious to be real."

Anna tries to recover from her laughter, only to relapse once a new thought comes to her. "Oh god," she gasps, "he is going to seriously _hate _us now. He looked like he was staring daggers into us when we left." Hopefully poor Elsa won't be guilty by association, though his menacing glare was also pointed at her.

"Ahh, forget about that. As long as we stay near the doors, he'll be too scared to mess with us again." An idea lights up his face. "Hey, since we have some free time, let's get some food before we split up. It'll be on me."

"How could I possibly turn that down?" Anna asks, already forming plans on what to eat.

* * *

The rest of the week goes by relatively smoothly. Weselton, as it turns out, does not seem to be planning her and Kristoff's untimely deaths. However during lectures he'll randomly pause to snap his eyes in their direction, as if thinking they were responsible for the doors blowing open. Elsa continues to sit with them despite it putting her in Weselton's range of vision.

Elsa herself seems to have warmed up to her again, though Anna catches her stealing glances at her pager now and again as if wondering when it will whisk her away. Thankfully, the only cases Anna has that week are two small relocations. She takes extra care not to injury herself since she had grown to hate how Elsa's face would twist with worry whenever she came through the door all banged up.

By Saturday morning, Anna is completely injury-free and ready to take out some inanimate targets. She's poking absentmindedly at her cereal and tapping her foot to some made up tune in her head when Elsa steps out of her bedroom. Anna drags her attention away from her Count Chocula box and towards a fully dressed Elsa.

The other woman is giving her a considering look, taking in Anna's striped pajama bottoms and plain gray thermal shirt. When her eyes travel past Anna's face and follow the curve of a particularly large cowlick on Anna's head, her lips twitch in amusement.

Anna glowers half-heartedly back at her. "Not everyone looks like a model when they wake up," she grumbles, a hand coming up to tame the cowlick into submission. "Judge my bedhead further and I won't teach you how to shoot a bow," she says around a mouthful of cereal. The threat is nullified when her cowlick springs back up and Elsa has to bite her lip to keep from smiling. Anna gives her a goofy grin of her own, knowing her hair is pretty crazy first thing in the morning.

"Do you go shooting often?" Elsa asks as she makes some toast. She's been throwing questions about the archery range for a few days now. Anna thinks she might be nervous about stepping out of her comfort zone—Anna knows the other woman isn't really into sports of any kind.

"I actually haven't been in a while," Anna says. She tips her bowl into her mouth to drink the chocolate milk. "It's a pretty nice place though. And if you don't like it, I have no problem driving you back here."

Elsa gives her a relieved smile. "Thank you. I think I'll have a good time. I've just never," she pantomimes pulling back and releasing a bow string, "before". She quickly lowers her arms, suddenly self-conscious of her display.

Holy crap, her roommate's adorable. "That'll be no problem at all," Anna says confidently. "I've been doing it for years. You'll be in good hands."

* * *

Tuning out the other archers around them, Anna places her hand on Elsa's waist. "You'll want to stand a bit more sideways," she says, gently nudging her into the correct position. "Good."

Even though she hasn't done much shooting yet, Elsa's already pink in the face. "Anything else?" she asks, voice a little shaky.

Anna takes a step back and watches as Elsa draws her bow back. "Just make sure you're anchoring the arrow to the same spot on your face each time you shoot. I use the corner of my mouth, some people use their chins or cheeks. It depends on the person." She taps Elsa's elbow. "Make sure the shooting arm isn't drooping and you're good to go."

Elsa nods, concentration sharpening. She focuses on the target twenty yards away and releases her arrow. It hits just left of the bullseye. Elsa lowers the bow, an excited smile lighting up her face.

"Yes!" Anna crows, giving her a high five.

Despite her initial hesitance, Elsa seems to be having a good time. She's eager to learn and doesn't get the slightest bit huffy whenever Anna corrects her on something. Since Anna is very much a hands-on person, she's glad to see that her touch doesn't seem to be bothering Elsa.

Kristoff, goofing around on the other end of the range, has been giving the two of them space while she teaches Elsa with one of the rented recurves. While he's quite good at archery, he's more interested in his ice axes or the occasional throwing knife. The range has private rooms where he could practice with those weapons if he wanted to, but instead he stays on the same range as the other two.

Once Elsa feels more comfortable with her bow, Anna picks her own one up and takes the target next to her. Anna's bow is a small, black compound with no extra goodies on it besides a snub-nosed stabilizer and a fairly new sight. She sinks arrow after arrow in the center of her target, mind slowly going blank at the familiar motions. When she's not fighting for her life or trying to take down creatures, archery is something that helps her unwind.

Once she runs out of arrows, she glances at Elsa's target. The other woman's stayed almost entirely in the center region, one arrow looking like it might be a bullseye. Anna grins when she sees the same fierce look of concentration still on her face.

"Y'know, you could have told me you'd done this before," she says teasingly after Elsa fires her last arrow. "It would have saved you from my remedial lessons."

Elsa dabs at her forehead with the back of her hand and gives her a bashful smile. "Maybe I'm only good _because _of your lessons," she points out in a voice that's just as teasing.

Anna jokingly tips her head in acknowledgement of her great skills. This is the happiest she's seen her roommate in the last week and she finds it hard to look away from the smile on Elsa's face—the expression is still relatively rare and seeing it in full because of something she's done…it makes her feel good.

Kristoff finally ambles his way over and nods in approval at Elsa. "Looks like Anna is turning you into some kind of wunderkind. Having a good time?"

"Yeah, thanks for inviting me," Elsa says easily. Making sure the other archers have stopped shooting, she goes to collect her arrows.

Anna and Kristoff walk slowly behind her, Kristoff lowering his voice to ask, "So…what do you think?"

Anna raises an eyebrow. "About what?"

He looks at her like she's an idiot. "About _Elsa_," he says slowly.

"Oh," Anna shrugs. "She's surprisingly good for a first timer. I think she could be pretty kick-ass if she had a decent bow."

Kristoff puts a palm to his forehead. "Wow. Just wow, Anna." With that, he goes back to his corner target, muttering under his breath.

What is up with him today? Even though he's been giving her and Elsa plenty of space, he keeps stealing glances at the two of them, a barely contained smirk on his face. Is he just glad that Elsa seems to be tolerating him now? Knowing him, it's probably something else.

Anna puts aside her curiosity and rejoins Elsa. "After a few more shots here, do you want to check out the animal range? It's a bit more interesting than shooting at a circle."

Unexpectedly, Elsa's face falls. "Oh, do you hunt?" She looks disapproving that Anna might be capable of harming anything cute and fluffy.

"Umm…no," Anna answers after a small hesitation. "I don't hunt animals." _Not normal ones, anyways._

"Good," Elsa says, relieved. "I don't like the idea of animals being killed for fun."

Anna's lips twitch. "So you really are a softie, aren't you? Beneath that sarcastic and huffy exterior is a gooey marshmallow center."

The look on Elsa's face is priceless—her eyes go big and her already pink cheeks flush even more. "Th-that's not true!" she says, voice sounding strangled. "I just don't like dead things, that's all."

That sobers Anna up slightly. "Yeah, I don't think anyone does." _Aaand _now her thoughts are turning dark. But before she can even frown, she spots a familiar man entering the range. "Shit," she growls. Why the hell is _he _here?

Elsa follows her gaze. "What's the matter?" she asks, seemingly not noticing the giant douche starting to walk towards them.

Anna twirls Elsa around, staring intently into her eyes. "Okay, here's what will happen. The guy that just walked in, the one with the reddish hair, he's going to hit on you." Elsa opens her mouth to protest but Anna runs a clinical eye up and down Elsa's figure, making the other woman fidget and remain silent. "He's definitely going to say something about your eyes," Anna predicts, "possibly your shirt too. And extra points if he asks you how often you exercise."

"Anna, what—"

"Hi, ladies. Is it alright if I shoot here?" a pleasant voice asks.

She looks behind Elsa's shoulder and sees Hans, looking perfectly nice in a collared shirt and a pair of slacks (as if he's at a _dinner party_ instead of an archery range). "It's a free country, isn't it?" Anna answers through gritted teeth.

He stands in the empty spot next to Elsa and sets his equipment down, taking extra time to roll up his sleeves and slowly removes his bow and arrows from his bag. Once he's ready to shoot, he glances at Elsa like he's seeing her for the first time.

"Hi," he says, lowering his bow and giving her a charming smile. "I'm Hans." He looks at her rented equipment and asks, "Is this your first time shooting here?"

Elsa is wary (good for her), and gives him only the slightest of nods. She nocks her arrow, aims, and releases it, trying to ignore how Hans is still staring at her. She hits close to the bullseye and gives Anna another grin, which she can't help but return.

"You're very good for a first-timer," Hans says, still not having shot a single arrow. His eyes wander across her body. "And I can't help but notice your…eyes, such a pretty color."

Elsa's grin is wiped off her face and she gives him a look that says, '_Get the hell away from me'_. Without bothering to respond, she goes back to shooting. Anna tries to ignore their interaction, since she _knows _Hans is only doing this to get a rise out of her, but she's finding it hard to focus on her own target.

Hans goes on despite Elsa clearly not being interested. "What kind of exercise do you do? Even if you're new to archery, you seem like someone who would take part in other physical activities."

Anna resists the urge to gag. God, his pickup lines have really deteriorated since the last time she saw him. It's like he's not even trying. Elsa continues to ignore him, but now a grimace is firmly in place. Her next arrow hits the outermost ring and she curses under her breath.

"I could give you some tips if you'd like," Hans offers, _finally _picking up his bow and aiming it downrange. His arrow hits the bullseye and he smirks. "I'm quite experienced."

"Oh, will you just _shut up_," Anna says, unable to take any more of his bullshit. "Get away from her so we can go back to having fun."

"But you told me I could practice here," he says, not budging. In a slightly nastier voice he adds, "You always were so indecisive, weren't you Anna?"

"And you were always a scumbag," Anna retorts. She's disappointed that she ever fell for him in the first place, unable to see what was underneath that handsome face until it was too late.

Elsa looks between the two of them and realization comes across her face. "Should I leave you two alone?" she asks, already stepping away so she's not in the middle of a potential argument.

Anna's hand reaches out to grab Elsa's arm. "Do _not _leave me alone with him," she warns. "I might do something unfortunate with an arrow if you do."

Elsa swallows hard but stands supportively next to her. Hans narrows his eyes at the display. "That's too bad," he says to Elsa. "We could have had some fun together."

Anna feels goosebumps run over her skin despite the fact she's getting worked up. "Seriously, stop trying to poach my friends—it's pathetic and not jealousy-inducing in any way." First it had been Merida, then Belle. Now Elsa is caught in the fallout of a nasty breakup. It's weird that Hans would actually think hitting on her friends would stir up romantic feelings in her. The only thing it stirs up is the desire to break his pretty face in.

"It's not my intention to make you jealous," he says in an amicable tone. "I assumed you would be latched onto somebody else by now anyways."

Anna clenches her jaw. So they've already gotten to the 'hurling passive-aggressive insults at each other' phase. Alright, she can roll with this. "Actually, I've been taking a break from relationships. My last boyfriend was a bit of a dick, truth be told." Becoming aware of the fact that she's still clinging to Elsa's arm, she let's go in case Elsa wants to run away. From the look on her face, it's a very real possibility.

"Is that so?" Hans murmurs thoughtfully. "Because my last girlfriend was a needy little thing, and was always going on about how well she knew me even after we had just met. It was suffocating."

And yep, there goes Elsa. Not that Anna blames her at all; she's sick of fighting Hans every time they see each other but she can't stop. It's like there's some nasty compulsion in her that makes her sink down to his level.

By the time Elsa comes back, Kristoff firmly in tow, she and Hans have reached a new line of attack. "I've heard your brothers are doing well for themselves. I'm not too surprised; they always did surpass you in every way." The truth always stings the most—Hans' siblings _were _more successful than him, at least when it came to their various positions in the Guild.

Hans flushes. "And how is your family doing?" he asks softly. "Last I heard, your father had traded snow for bayous." Damn him. He knows that particular barb is too sharp, even for this conversation.

What makes it worse is that he apparently knows more about her dad's whereabouts than she does(not that she ever tried contacting him after that first month. Not that she really cares where he is). Anna's free hand tightens into a fist and before she can do something she'll regret, Kristoff comes to stand between them. "I think it's time for you to leave," he directs towards Hans.

"Or what, will your puppy come and bite me?" Hans always did dislike Sven, probably because the dog growled at him every time they occupied the same space.

Kristoff's eyes become unfocused and he smirks. "He would be up for it, I assure you."

Anna takes a calming breath and shakes her head. "Actually, maybe we should go. We can do a late lunch at Tiana's." She doesn't want to be anywhere near Hans, especially when she has a weapon in her hands. They had practiced enough for the time being anyways.

Elsa, having been silent since Hans came over, finally speaks up. "I'd like that," she says quietly, probably beyond relieved at the chance to get away from Hans and Anna's bickering.

Anna doesn't bother giving Hans so much as another glance as she starts to pack up. Soon, the three of them are in the range's parking lot, tying their scarves and pulling on their gloves. Kristoff splits from them to meet at the restaurant, driving slowly out of the icy lot.

Before Elsa has the chance to get into the passenger seat, Anna tugs on her jacket to get her attention. Elsa straightens up, scarf slipping to expose a segment of smooth skin. "I'm really sorry you had to see that," Anna says, shame already starting to settle in her stomach. Being around Hans post-breakup turns her into someone she isn't proud of.

Elsa takes a step towards her and raises her arm, and Anna wonders if she's going to hug her again. Instead, Elsa simply brushes the hair out of one of Anna's eyes and tucks it under her beanie. The unexpected action provokes a flustered smile out of Anna.

"And I'm sorry you used to date him," Elsa says wryly.

Anna laughs, feeling a bit lighter. She gets into the car and starts the ignition, hoping her heater will come on before they reach Tiana's. "Yeah, me too. We're currently in the 'I completely hate your guts' phase of our breakup. I highly doubt we'll manage to move from that point." She can't imagine actually being _civil _to him, even when they're both old and wrinkly.

"Can I…what happened between you two?" Elsa asks haltingly a few minutes into the drive. She backpedals immediately. "I'm sorry, that's rude of me."

"No, it's okay," Anna assures her. "It was a while ago." She takes a deep breath and goes, "He cheated on me. Cheated and then tried to turn it around on me like it was my fault." _'We're both so busy, we hardly see each other anymore…it was the alcohol, I swear. If you were there I wouldn't have done it.'_ She remembers each of his awful excuses, followed by his defensive insults. _'It's not like this was going to end up in marriage or anything…You're too sensitive, it was only one time.'_

But Anna was not her mother—she broke up with Hans soon after, refusing to give him another chance…or another opportunity to cheat. Ever since, they'd been on less than pleasant terms.

Seeming to sense Anna's growing unhappiness, Elsa puts a comforting hand over Anna's gloved one. "I've…never been in a relationship," she says, coloring at the confession. "I-I mean, I've gone on dates before, that kind of stuff, but I've never really felt like…_committing _to someone until—" She pauses and releases Anna's hand. "I don't really know where I'm going with this. Just…I want you to know that I'm really sorry you had to go through that. Next time I see that guy, I'll punch him for you."

Anna can't help but laugh at the earnestness in Elsa's voice. Maybe it's because she was so sparse with them earlier, but Anna can't help but feel lighter whenever Elsa touches her. It's like she has some kind of emotional-healing magic at her fingertips.

"I don't think that will be necessary," Anna says. "But I'll definitely hold you to that."

They stay silent for the rest of the ride. Despite being present when Hans spoke about her dad, Elsa doesn't ask her about that particular topic, something that greatly relieves Anna. By the time they pull into Tiana's, Anna feels that her mood has improved by a wide margin.

Kristoff is already sitting at their favorite table—the one in the front corner near the window. It's nearly surrounded with potted plants, giving those sitting there a sense of privacy. Anna settles in next to Kristoff, Elsa taking the cushioned seat across from them.

Tiana herself soon comes over to take their orders, yellow apron spattered with a colorful array of spices. "What can I get you guys, the usual?" she asks warmly. All three of them nod in sync and Tiana writes down what is presumably three big bowls of her amazing jambalaya.

Once she leaves, Kristoff puts his elbows on the table and leans forward. "So besides the very end, did you have a good time, Elsa?" he asks, playing around with the condiments on the table to keep his hands busy.

Elsa is quick to answer, "Yeah, it was really fun. It'd be nice to do it again sometime." Even though her words are directed towards Kristoff, her eyes are on Anna.

"Sure thing!" he grins. "We'll just have to make sure Douchebag Extraordinaire isn't around next time."

Anna glares at Kristoff. _Thanks for bringing _him_ into the conversation_. They lapse into a semi-awkward silence, only Kristoff looking like he's enjoying himself. Their beverages—a water for Elsa and a local IPA each for Kristoff and Anna—are quick to arrive.

Right when things feel like they're lightening up, Kristoff just has to ask Anna, "So, do you think you might be ready for another relationship?" He unsuccessfully hides a grin behind the brim of his beer at the expression on her face.

What the hell. Is he intentionally trying to annoy her? But she decides to take the question seriously, since she hasn't asked herself that in a while. After wiping off some of the condensation gathering on her own bottle, she takes a thoughtful sip. "I don't know. I guess I'd be up for the idea if someone comes along. I'm not going put up a dating profile or anything, but I guess it might be nice to be with someone." The one problem being that she only dates people from the Guild, which limits her options significantly. But to her it's better that her significant other doesn't have to be lied to about such a large part of her life.

Across the table, Elsa is listening intently. She averts her gaze when Anna looks over in her direction.

Kristoff nods, looking encouraged. "I think you should consider dating women. You know, expand your horizons a bit."

Elsa chokes on her water, a hand coming up to cover her mouth as she tries to dislodge the liquid from her throat.

"You okay?" Anna asks in concern. Elsa's eyes are nearly watering but it seems she can breathe like she's supposed to. At a hand-wave from Elsa, she turns back to Kristoff. "Are you being serious right now?" Kristoff schools his expression to look perfectly sincere. Anna decides to answer despite her annoyance at his weird line of questioning. "I haven't really thought much about being with a woman _that way_, but I don't see what the big deal would be with doing so."

Anna's a fairly liberal girl and even if she's never gone on a date with someone of the same sex, it's certainly something she's thought about on more than one occasion. She thinks of Esmeralda, the extraordinarily pretty girl in her freshman dance class, and smirks when she remembers how mesmerizing she was when she moved her hips. Oh yeah, Anna definitely doesn't have a problem thinking about women romantically.

Still, she would rather get off this subject before Kristoff decides to ask any other personal questions. She nods towards the water in Elsa's hands. "Do you drink alcohol?"

Elsa finishes taking a cautious sip and replies, "Not really. It kind of lost its appeal when I turned twenty-two."

"You're a year older than us?" Kristoff asks, surprised. "I thought we were in the same year."

"Oh, I'm a junior too," Elsa says. She sinks a little lower into her seat when she adds, "I was homeschooled until I was sixteen. I had to catch up on some stuff and ended up a year behind in school."

Huh, homeschooled. That might explain some of Elsa's difficulties in dealing with other people. Anna can't imagine how she would turn out if she weren't around those her own age. It would also explain her romantic inexperience—Anna would have thought the other woman would be drowning in guys (hell, girls too) offering to take her out.

The conversation settles into less personal territory soon after—they discuss their favorite movies, with Anna acting out the climactic scene from _The Empire Strikes Back_ much to the others' amusement.

By the time their food arrives, Kristoff is clutching at Anna's arm, pretending she's the Rose to his Jack. Tiana doesn't even bother looking surprised by their antics, simply sliding their bowls in front of them with well-practiced ease.

Anna notices that even while the other woman eats, Elsa has a completely unselfconscious smile on her face, as if not even aware she's doing it. Suddenly, the jambalaya seems a bit spicier than usual and Anna rubs at the heat in her chest.

She and Elsa part ways with Kristoff a while later and head back to their apartment. When Anna parks the car near their building, she finds that she doesn't want the day to be over yet. So as she unbuckles her seatbelt, she turns to Elsa with an idea in her head.

"I know this sounds really weird but...would you wanna build a snowman with me? We have so much snow around and the only thing I've done is walk in it." And she would totally be up for sledding later, but baby steps need to be taken.

She expects Elsa to comment on how childish her request is, maybe teasingly remind her that they're in _college_, not elementary school.

Instead, Elsa beams at her, hands rubbing together in anticipation.

"I'd love to."

* * *

**A/N: **Interesting fact: one of my main notes for this chapter was 'Kristoff is Elsa's secret wingman'. Dude knows what's up. Hope you enjoyed this chapter, next one will take place around ~Halloween~ and involve a creature from Japanese mythology.


	5. A Fever You Can't Sweat Out

**A/N: **Whoo, this chapter was a bit tougher than I anticipated (mainly the last few scenes). While this is lighthearted for the most part, I want to mention that the fight near the end is pretty ugly. Read with caution if you get grossed out easily.

* * *

**A Fever You Can't Sweat Out**

* * *

"A party?" Elsa repeats, turning the idea over in her head. She and Anna are sitting at the kitchen table, finishing their breakfasts and watching fat flakes of snow drift past the window.

"Well, maybe not a 'party'," Anna quickly amends after taking a swig of orange juice. "More like a 'get together' or a 'gathering'. Maybe an 'assemblage'?" She's not sure if that last one is a word, but it sounds pretty legit. She's more concerned with the half-flipped collar of Elsa's peacoat. The jacket looks great on her, but the collar needs to be _even, _dammit.

"I think that's more than enough adjectives," Elsa responds dryly. Her eyebrows draw in thought. "But you really want to have a Halloween…assemblage…here?"

Anna nods. "Nothing too crazy, just some people, a little alcohol, maybe a scary movie."

Elsa is still looking unsure, so Anna adds, "I could do the party at Kristoff's instead." He was always down for a get together at his place, probably due to the fact that his only frequent visitor is Anna.

"No," Elsa says, abruptly changing her mind. She shifts in her chair, part of her jacket's collar bobbing with the motion. "Our place is fine."

_Our place_. The words make Anna grin. "Thanks. Feel free to bring some people if you'd like. Friends, a date, whoever."

"Oh, I'm not seeing anyone," Elsa says dismissively. At Anna's raised eyebrow, she stutters, "I-I mean I'm just going to ask Rapunzel if she wants to come." She stands up with more enthusiasm than a Wednesday morning deserves. "We should probably get going, right?"

Anna shoves the rest of her toast into her mouth and nods. She follows Elsa to the door but stops her before they step outside. "Wait," she demands after her mouth is empty.

She reaches up towards Elsa's collar. Grasping both ends, she smooths the problem side down until she's happy with its placement. "There," she says in satisfaction, "perfect."

Elsa, stiff with surprise, takes a moment to find her voice. "Umm…thanks?"

Realizing she's still holding onto the jacket (and therefore keeping Elsa extremely close to her), Anna lets go as if it's scorching hot. "Sorry! It was just bothering me. I didn't mean to invade your space and just start _touching_ you. I know you don't like that, so I guess I wasn't thinking and—"

Elsa holds out a silencing hand, stopping the jumble of words coming out of Anna's mouth. Almost smirking, she flips the collar back up. "Is it still bothering you?"

"_Yes_," Anna replies, playfully glaring at her. She's relieved that Elsa has decided to joke around with her instead of shrinking away (something that would have happened just a few weeks ago). She snatches the collar again and pats it down with a little more force than the first time.

Laughing, Elsa takes ahold of Anna's forearms before Anna can lower them. The move brings the two closer together. "You know, something's been bugging me as well." Elsa's voice is quiet and Anna is near enough to smell the Earl Grey she just finished.

"Y-yeah?" Anna asks. For some reason, it's become a bit harder than usual to breathe.

Elsa's gaze drops away from Anna's eyes to somewhere lower. "Yeah."

Anna feels a tugging around her neck and looks down to find her scarf being skillfully knotted by Elsa's quick fingers. Giving it one last pull, Elsa nods firmly and steps back to admire the final product. "My work here is done," she says, echoing Anna's earlier pleased tone.

"Huh," Anna says dumbly. What do you know, her scarf _does _look better like that. "Touché."

Her roommate slips out the door before Anna can wonder when Elsa got so comfortable around her. After locking up, she hurries to catch up with Elsa. They walk right past the snowman they made last weekend, the one they mutually agreed to name 'Olaf'. Miraculously, Olaf hasn't melted despite his proximity to the road, which had reduced everything around him to slush.

Anna waves goodbye to the snowman before starting her car and carefully navigating the rarely-plowed street of the apartment complex.

During the first commercial break on the radio, Anna sees Elsa turn towards her in the passenger seat. "It's okay," she says with a hint of resolve. Fingers rake nervously through her blonde hair.

Anna shrugs questioningly without taking her eyes off the road. "What is?" It's unlike Elsa to randomly blurt things out like this.

Elsa takes a breath. "Earlier…you were apologizing for touching me. I wanted to say…I mean—" The car comes to a slow stop at a light and Anna glances over at Elsa, an encouraging smile on her face.

Elsa returns the smile with a small one of her own. "It's okay," she starts again, "if you touch me. It's fine." She looks away as soon as she says it, though the edge of an ice-blue eye seems to be peeking at Anna, waiting for her reaction.

Oh.

Anna blinks in surprise. _That _certainly wasn't what she expected Elsa to say. Still, it's good to know that the roommate who went from sitting as far away from her as possible is now a friend she can touch without causing offense to.

"Thanks," Anna grins, her attention going back to the road. "I'll keep that in mind."

* * *

Anna and Kristoff didn't expect to be anywhere near the forest on Halloween. Yet here they are, trudging through snow and over fallen branches under the gray afternoon sky. The Guild had given them (and every other hunter in the area) word that the scope of their territory would be expanded, in some places up to eight miles.

The two, accompanied by Sven, had decided to familiarize themselves with the new border and later add the coordinates to the maps hanging in their bedrooms. It also gave them a good excuse to wander through the trees without having to worry about taking down any creatures. Even with all of its ancient trees and hidden paths, Anna sometimes forgot to appreciate the beauty of the forest.

Much to her surprise, Elsa had asked to tag along with them, saying that she wanted to see Anna's workplace for herself. Due to Kristoff, she was under the impression they were just out for a long recreational walk.

Anna has no problem with her inclusion—she's been itching for the other woman's company outside the apartment since they went to the archery range. Elsa somehow seemed to be a lighter and happier person the more time they spent together, like she was slowly letting go of the surly defenses and insecurities that had been set in place long before she met Anna. The changes were oddly fulfilling to witness.

Kristoff tugs on Anna's jacket, bringing her back to reality. "…I was talking about my favorite Halloween costume," he says, an exaggerated amount of annoyance in his voice at her inattention.

Anna rolls her eyes. "I already know what it is; I went trick-or-treating _with _you when we were ten." Kristoff has the gall to look skeptical so Anna continues, "It was the one where you dressed as Santa Claus and dragged Sven around as Prancer or Dasher or one of those reindeers." It had been Sven's very first Halloween and Kristoff had made the sacrifice of forgoing candy in order to carry the puppy around in his arms all night.

Kristoff nods, mollified. "Just checking. So what was your favorite costume, Elsa?" he asks over his shoulder. He stops and turns around when there's no answer. "Oh, oops."

He and Anna have forgotten just how difficult it is to navigate the forest's many obstacles. Elsa is a few paces behind them, struggling with her gloved hands to clamber over a fallen tree. Anna immediately backtracks and puts her hand out for Elsa grab. She takes it gratefully and is soon on the other side, only a little breathless. Squeezing Anna's hand in thanks before releasing it, she hurries to catch up with Kristoff.

"I was a princess when I was eight," she answers Kristoff's earlier question as if there hadn't been a lull in the conversation. Her smile has a touch of sadness when she says, "My mom made me this beautiful blue dress. She was really good at sewing and used to make all my costumes, whether it was for Halloween or tea parties with Rapunzel."

Anna doesn't mean to, but she snorts at the thought of the darkly-clad, awkward Elsa as a _princess_, of all things. It just doesn't compute.

Elsa glares at the sound, heating rising to her cheeks. "Is there a problem with that, roommate?" she asks in a voice that's probably supposed to be threatening. Her hand twitches and Anna wonders if she wants to throw a snowball at her.

"Oh, no. I promise," Anna says, attempting to look contrite. "I just thought it would be much more fitting for you to be a queen, not a princess. That's all."

Elsa aims her nose into the air. "Of course you thought that." When she levels her gaze to Anna, there's a serious expression on her face that she's trying hard to maintain. "I do possess many royal qualities, after all."

"That's very true," Anna says eagerly, continuing the charade. "Like the fact that you can't _bear_ to switch your laundry until it needs to be re-spun, or that you take showers the length of a Lord of the Rings movie, oh, and you also—"

"That's enough, peasant," Elsa cuts her off. She bites the inside of her mouth to keep from smiling. But unable to keep character, she breaks down and mock-glares at Anna. "I didn't realize laziness and enjoying a warm shower were qualities of a queen."

"As a wildlife major who has completed only two history classes, I can assure you that those are the qualities of the very _best _queens," Anna says solemnly.

Their fun ends when Elsa's boot gets caught on an unseen root and she stumbles forward. She's quick to catch herself against a nearby tree but the action returns them to their surroundings. Anna had very nearly forgotten that Kristoff and Sven were even with them.

To cover her embarrassment, Elsa says, "I honestly thought you would be the clumsy one, not me. Didn't you say that you could," she puts up air quotes, "'barely walk in a straight line without getting hurt'?"

"Good memory," Anna mutters under her breath. She actually forgot she's supposed to be some kind of klutz, and has practically been gliding through the forest compared to Elsa. She imagines that if she pretends to be clumsy, it would come off looking terribly fake. _Why can't I think of good lies to tell_? she despairs.

Kristoff comes to the rescue in a rather annoying way—before she knows it, Sven starts a complex series of loops between her legs, causing her to trip over her feet to avoid stepping on him. "Seriously?!—" she starts in annoyance before tumbling headlong into Elsa. The blonde is unprepared for Anna's sudden change in direction towards her, and can do nothing but brace herself for impact.

The two land in a pile of snow, Anna trying valiantly not to fall completely on top of Elsa and knock the wind out of her. She manages to brace her hands on either side of Elsa's head, supporting most of her weight. Grinning in relief, she looks down at Elsa.

Her blonde hair is splayed out against the snow, looking as if it's been purposefully arranged to do so. Elsa's eyes are as big as she's ever seen them and there's a look in them that's both strange and all-consuming. Even through all the layers of clothing, Anna swears she can feel Elsa's heart beat against her own chest. Unnerved by the stillness between them, Anna tries to get up as quickly as she can, only to realize her legs are entangled with Elsa's. There's a soft, surprised intake of breath from Elsa when Anna's hips move upwards to get off her.

Anna quickly stands, head already feeling clearer. She shoots Kristoff a venomous look and he shrugs helplessly (though the smile on his face speaks volumes of his guilt). "I can't control Sven. He does what he wants."

"Sure he does," Anna huffs. Belatedly, she realizes her face is flushed.

Elsa is soon to get up as well, though she's a bit unsteady on her feet. "So…" she coughs, eyes averted. "How about you, Anna? Favorite costume?"

"Oh," Anna says, taken more off-guard than she should be by the question. Her parents, both being level one hunters, were a bit touchy when it came to Halloween. Instead of being a werewolf, zombie, or vampire (creatures they were very familiar with hunting), she tended to go as a different famous person each year. "Probably Abraham Lincoln," she decides. "_Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure _was my favorite movie that year. Instead of saying 'trick-or-treat' for candy, I would say 'party on, dudes!'" She plays the air guitar for a second to hammer the point home.

The unexpected answer startles a laugh out of Elsa. "You…you really went as _Lincoln_?" she asks. "You had the beard and top hat too?"

"Of course," Anna scoffs. "What do you take me for, an amateur? I was dressed like a president going to see half of a play."

Kristoff chuckles. "Oh, you're bad." He pauses for a moment. "Had we already met by that point? The furthest costume back I can remember is Rosie the Riveter."

"I honestly have no idea," Anna confesses. "Everything kind of blurred together after a while, costumes included."

"You two have known each other since childhood?" Elsa asks in something close to awe.

Anna wonders why that surprises her before recalling that Elsa was homeschooled for most of her formative years. Even now, Elsa's never spoken of anyone besides her cousin as a friend.

Kristoff nods. "Our parents were friends and introduced us sometime during elementary school. They wanted us to all practice together so we could learn to—" he abruptly cuts himself off, looking stunned by what he almost said.

Anna sucks in a surprised breath. She's never seen Kristoff so close to spilling any sort of crucial information. Being in the forest with her on Guild business must've made him forget Elsa is not part of the same world as they are.

Thankfully, Elsa doesn't notice the odd stopping place in the conversation or push the subject further—she's concentrating very hard on keeping her feet beneath her as they trod over a small and completely frozen-over creek.

Anna and Kristoff glance at each other in relief, though Anna is quick to mutter a curse in his direction. In retaliation, Kristoff's eyes get a distant look in them—the telltale sign that he and Sven are communicating.

Anna backs away from both of them, hands going up in a placating manner. "That really isn't necessary—"

But Sven is already bounding towards her. Before she can register what happened, she's already lying on the ground with the dog pressing warm kisses to her face. Distantly, she can hear Elsa and Kristoff laughing at the scene.

She hauls herself up and just barely refrains from shooting the bird at Kristoff. Her annoyance dissipates when she sees how happy Elsa looks in their company.

"I'm staying back here with Elsa," she says staunchly to Kristoff. "I don't seem to have nearly as many problems with her." He waves her away good-naturedly and continues on walking.

Elsa positively _beams _ at the statement, and Anna thinks something good may have come from Kristoff's jackassery after all.

* * *

Once Kristoff deems they've spent enough time in the great outdoors for the day, they head to the closest liquor store. Anna and Elsa's place would be completely dry if it weren't for the Bailey's Anna sometimes likes to put in her hot chocolate.

"…It's because she's a lightweight," Kristoff is in the middle of informing Elsa as he puts a bottle of rum into his basket. "She can get tipsy just from_ looking _at something alcoholic."

"Okay, that clearly isn't true," Anna protests, spreading her arms wide to remind him where they are. "Though yes," she addresses Elsa with a grimace, "I am tragically easy to get drunk. A drink with a meal is fine, but parties make my liver hate me." The story was always the same—one drink led to another, which led to another…and then _boom_! Instant hangover the next morning.

"Look on the bright side; at least you're a cheap date," Kristoff quips. Totally expecting the slap on the arm he receives, he goes on, "Anna gets touchy when she's inebriated, bossy too. Don't be surprised if she ends up in your bed, Elsa."

Elsa almost knocks over a Captain Morgan cutout when she suddenly jerks backwards. "I—wha?" she sputters, dumbfounded. Anna and Kristoff burst out laughing at the reaction, causing Elsa to cross her arms and blush brilliantly.

"I mean she might _sleep_ there, thinking it's her bed," Kristoff says, still chortling. "Jeez, get your mind out of the gutter."

"Yeah," Anna pipes up, wanting to get one last tease in, "Kristoff said I'm a _cheap_ date, not an easy one."

Elsa buries her head in her hands but Anna can still see her heated ears. "Oh it's okay," Anna says, giving her a good pat on the shoulder, "It's a common mistake to make."

Elsa's words are muffled but Anna hears her say, "I would never think you were an easy date." She sounds almost _offended_ that Anna would say such a thing.

Anna wonders how she can be so nice even as she's being teased mercilessly. She gently takes one of Elsa's hands away from her face, smiling when she sees blue eyes peering back at her.

She steers the conversation into less awkward territory as the three head to the cashier. "How are you with scary movies? I have a few ideas in mind."

Elsa shrugs, embarrassment beginning to fade. "I don't really watch them, but I doubt I'll get scared easily."

Anna narrows her eyes. Is that a challenge? "We'll see about that."

* * *

"Elsa…I can't…feel my arm," Anna whispers shortly after a facehugger skitters across the screen.

The living room is completely dark except for the glow emanating from the tv. Hiccup and Merida are laying on their stomachs in front of the tv, legs kicked up behind them. The couch holds Elsa and Kristoff, with Anna sandwiched between them. Rapunzel and her boyfriend Flynn hover near the kitchen. Rapunzel is protectively enveloped in Flynn's arms, taking small peeks of the movie while he looks on, amused.

"I'm not sorry," Elsa hisses back vehemently. Her grip on Anna's forearm loosens slightly but she doesn't let go. "I didn't want to watch this movie in the first place because it looked really—" She flinches at the tv screen when the facehugger manages to wrap its tail around Ripley's throat.

Rapunzel gasps at the same time and buries herself into Flynn. Apparently the blondes are genetically predisposed to being terrified of _Aliens_.

Kristoff points excitedly at the screen. "Newt almost got killed! Take a drink!" he orders the others. He tips his own beer back, finishing the last of it in one swig. Sighing in satisfaction, he moves his legs until one is flush against Anna's, causing her to scoot closer to Elsa so he can have some space

She nurses her own drink (sprite mixed with some seriously delicious mango rum) and side-eyes Elsa. While the rest of the group is comfortably buzzed, she's taking sips of water out of her favorite mug. It's a shame she doesn't seem to like the warm, relaxing sensation of alcohol humming through her veins, Anna thinks. Because it feels _awesome_.

The rest of the movie goes along in much the same manner; all the hunters cheer whenever an alien gets fried and talk about how they would finish them off. The others either chime in (Flynn) or are too busy averting their eyes when a scary scene comes on (Elsa and Rapunzel).

During the climax, everyone who has seen the movie raises their drinks and choruses, "_Get away from her, you bitch!_" alongside Ripley. The line signifies chugging the rest of their preferred poison, and Anna starts to feel incredibly lightheaded and not the least bit sober.

Once the credits roll, Hiccup demands they play Super Smash Bros., confident he can wallop the rest of them into the ground. The mechanical engineering major lives on the opposite side of town as Kristoff and Anna, and as such they rarely see each other. However, every level two hunter in the area has heard the story of how he lost his foot fighting a pakhangba. Despite the horrendous experience, he's still an incredibly chipper guy.

Elsa, who has been hanging back most of the night, volunteers herself for the first round of Smash, a look of intense focus suddenly coming over her. Rapunzel and Flynn join in and the four go at it to the cheers of the others. The first match is over shockingly fast—Elsa comes out the victor, her Zelda absolutely destroying the competition. There are cries for a rematch, but the results are the same—Elsa wins rounds two, three and four as well.

Hiccup's mouth drops open and he turns to gape at her. "The hell?" he says, tone vaguely accusing. "I've been the reigning champion since the beginning of time!"

Anna, oddly smug over Elsa's victory, wraps an arm around the woman's neck. "There's a new champion in town and she is my amazing, cool, super awesome roommate!" If her words slur a little, no one points it out.

Elsa feels warm under her touch, but then again, _everything _feels warm at the moment. She should definitely stay away from the mango rum at the next party. Releasing Elsa from her hold, she swipes Hiccup's controller and announces, "I'm next! I'll beat everyone in the world!"

Hiccup sighs and fiddles with the Gamecube for a second before standing up, the tip of his prosthesis poking through a hole in his sock. "Fine, fine. Let's see how you do."

The game is on, all competitors launching into action. Anna can barely follow the movements on the screen and contents herself with mashing buttons at random. When the end of the match is over, Anna fist pumps in victory. "Don't feel too bad," she tells the others, who are looking at her in bewilderment. "I used to play a lot when I was younger."

"Umm…Anna?" Elsa says haltingly. Her shoulders begin to shake and she breaks out into a full blown grin. "Hiccup unplugged your controller before you even started playing."

Anna stares down at her controller in confusion, pulling on its cord until the end is firmly in her hand. Everyone starts laughing as she turns red. "I hate you all!" she yells over their amusement. "You're all terrible people!"

She stands up and swipes a Strongbow Merida brought (because _of course_ she'd buy anything with an archer on it) and stomps towards the entryway. The protests of her friends fade as she puts on her jacket and heads outside.

She's not angry at them, not really. Even her alcohol-soaked brain realizes they were just having fun. But drinking can make her uncomfortably hot, and so she plops down in the snow under her apartment, not really caring that it will make her clothes wet.

The sky is bereft of clouds tonight, allowing the universe to showcase its best and brightest stars with no distractions.

She takes a sip of cider and smiles at the warmth pooling in her stomach. It's not long before she hears someone coming to join her.

"You okay out here?" Kristoff asks as he sits down next to her. For once, he's missing his beanie. Small flakes of snow make contact with his hair and melt.

"'course I am," Anna answers immediately. Her eyes go back to the stars and she smiles. "Today's been a good day, hasn't it?"

Kristoff chuckles. "Yeah, it really has been. I'm glad Elsa's been able to join us."

Anna nods enthusiastically. "She's really fun to hang out with. At first she was a total ice queen, like not talking or being standoff-ish when she did. I didn't think we would be friends. But now…now she's really nice and funnier than I thought she would be. And a bit on the awkward side, too. I kind of like embarrassing her." The alcohol has loosened her tongue, letting her speak her mind a bit more freely than she normally would.

"She really is something," Kristoff says warmly. He pauses, about to add something more, before shaking his head.

They lapse into silence, just taking in their surroundings. After a few minutes, a question bubbles up inside Anna. "Kristoff, where are your parents right now?" She doesn't quite remember if she's asked recently, even though it's something she tries to keep up with.

Kristoff takes a moment to think about it. "Bolivia," he eventually says, though he sounds unsure. "Or Paraguay. Yeah, I think the last package was from Paraguay."

Anna nods. His parents always tried to keep up with their son, even when they were busy hunting creatures halfway around the world. Kristoff's packages were usually modest; including a few pictures, a letter, maybe a souvenir or two. They even bought things for Anna sometimes.

"You're really lucky, you know," Anna says thoughtfully. She takes another swallow of cider when she feels her eyes starting to burn.

It becomes silent again—both of them know she's not talking about the packages.

"Since when did you become a sad drunk?" Kristoff asks eventually, trying to lighten the mood.

Anna shrugs. "Snow makes me sad sometimes. It's all cold and floaty. Reminds me of things."

Kristoff comes a bit closer, placing a gloved hand on her arm. "Do you want to head back inside?"

"In a bit. I want to be a sad drunk for a while longer."

He nods and plunks down next to her.

They lay like that for what feels like hours, watching their breath dissipate in front of their eyes. When Anna finally feels the snow seeping into her underwear, she sits up. The hair on the back of her head has giant snow clumps in it.

Kristoff appears to be snoozing but when she calls his name, his eyes snap open right away. "Ready?" he asks.

She nods and they head up the stairs, Anna having to lean heavily against him since her balance is shot.

When she opens the door, the only sounds Anna can hear are coming from the television. She peeks into the living room and sees Hiccup and Merida spread out on the floor, asleep. Rapunzel and Flynn are murmuring quietly to one another on the couch. The television is playing one of the original _Twilight Zone _episodes, the volume low.

When he sees them, Flynn stands up with a smile. "We're going to head out. It was nice meeting you both."

Rapunzel yawns and nods. "Elsa said to tell you she went to sleep," she says to Anna. "And that she was really disappointed you missed 'Never Have I Ever'."

Anna snorts quietly. "I doubt she even played."

Rapunzel bows her head in acknowledgement. "I'll see around, okay?"

The four of them say their goodbyes and the couple head out into the night.

"I'll take care of the others," Kristoff says in a low voice. "You just get some sleep; you look like you're about to gather the empty bottles and use them as pillows."

Anna nods easily—she's dead tired, both her stomach and head heavy with alcohol. "Have a good weekend," she says before shutting herself in her room.

Not bothering to even take off her shoes or jacket, she falls straight onto her bed, curls up, and goes to sleep.

* * *

She wakes up to the sound of her pager going haywire. She groans and reaches out to grasp it, only succeeding in pushing it off her nightstand and onto the floor.

By the time she manages to sit upright and swing her legs over her bed, she realizes she's made the ultimate rookie mistake when it comes alcohol—she forgot to rehydrate last night. And now her head is aching, her mouth is dry, and her stomach is crying out for food.

"Stupid goddamn rum," she mutters. Snatching the pager off the floor, she squints at it.

_Akaname, 5ft, 30.07°, 82.61°, in bldg_

She frowns. "What the hell…" a huge yawn bisects her grumbling, "is an akaname?" Today is _not _the day to take on a completely unfamiliar creature, especially considering it's in one of the new areas.

Nonetheless, she hauls herself out of bed and heads to the bathroom to get ready. Her lips curl at her reflection; the skin under her eyes is dark and puffy while the rest of her face is paler than usual, making her freckles stand out sharply. Her hair is, as usual, a total bird's nest.

But despite her physical aches and appearance, she doesn't feel nauseous at all. She would hate to go on a monster hunt _completely _hungover. Being partially hungover will be hard enough.

After exiting the bathroom, she realizes that the living room is surprisingly bereft of both people and alcohol. Actually, it looks like a party never even took place last night. She'll have to remember to buy Kristoff lunch sometime this week.

Though speaking of lunch…she takes a look at the kitchen clock and curses at the time. It's actually a little after one in the afternoon. A horrible thought runs through her mind—just how long was her pager going off before it woke her up? Even if only starting beeping an hour ago, that's an hour lost in hunting, an hour for the creature to move in any direction.

Her routine quickens after that, and soon she's in her hunting clothes with a piece of toast sticking out her mouth. Her finger flip quickly through one of her many bestiaries until she lands on the entry for the akaname. She can't waste too much time with research, but she needs to at least look the creature up.

"Long tongue…filth-eater…territorial…blah blah blah…" she mutters, eyes running across the pages. Overall, the creature doesn't seem like he'll be much of a challenge, even in her less-than-perfect state. She's dealt with far worse things than this and has always come out alive, though maybe a bit worse for wear.

Her nose wrinkles when she reads where they like to reside. "God, this is going to be disgusting."

* * *

The fresh powder crunches beneath her feet, the only sound in the otherwise quiet forest. The reflection of the sun on top of the snow feels like it's stabbing into her eyes, making the short hike much more unbearable than usual. She's almost relieved to find the building that matches her assignment's coordinates.

_Almost_, because the place is an abandoned sauna-slash-bathroom. The wood making up the exterior is musty and the weight of snow on the roof makes it dip slightly. All of the windows are blown out, having not been able to withstand the harsh winter winds. Above the entrance in red, chipped paint is a sign reading _Oaken's_.

Anna glowers at the name. Whoever the hell this Oaken character is, she hopes he's learned his lesson of creating a business in the middle of nowhere.

She repositions the net gun in her hand and makes sure her knives are all accounted for. As much as she would like to use her bow, the quarters are too close to shoot it accurately. Weapons in hand, she pushes through the door and heads inside.

Despite the windows, it's almost pitch black inside. She leaves the door open behind her, hoping to illuminate the place a bit better. It only helps a little—she can tell she's in the lobby area, though everything that might have made _Oaken's _personable once is gone. She can see squares on the walls that are a lighter shade than others; evidence that pictures once hung there.

There are only two doors past the lobby: one leading to the sauna and the other to the bathroom. Unfortunately, she's not going in the direction of a relaxing steam bath. Before opening the door to the bathroom, she wraps her scarf tightly around the lower-half of her face, hoping it will protect her from some of the odor she's about to endure.

It doesn't help. Not at all.

The stench of human and animal excrement is enough to make her stomach roll violently even before she takes her first full step into the room. The bathroom has four toilets, each within their own private stalls. At some point all of their pipes had burst, spilling now-frozen sewage across the floor. The porcelain sinks are gaping and cracked, and there's more mirror on the floor than the wall.

_This really is the worst post-hangover assignment I could have gotten._

Anna unsheathes one of her knives and makes her way to the stall closest to her, careful not to slip on the muck underneath her. She swings the stall door open but it's clear except for a brown-stained toilet.

Okay, fine. She repeats the procedure to the next toilet. Then the next. And then the last.

"What's going on?" she mutters, confused. The coordinates were _right, _dammit. This is the only building for miles around and the creature should be here. Is he hiding somewhere in the sauna? It wouldn't make sense to do so unless there's also an abundance of excrement there as well, but it's worth checking out.

Rubbing at her runny nose through her scarf, she turns to leave—and freezes.

On the wall above the door, the akaname cocks his head at her.

He makes a strange clicking sound, then another, before he springs off the wall and collides with her.

Anna's feet slip out immediately when his weight hits her, elbows and head hitting the ground before anything else. A gasp of pain forces its way inside her lungs, causing her to inhale the creature's putrid odor.

An uncontrollable urge to vomit overtakes her, and she frantically kicks him off and unravels her scarf just in time for her stomach to empty itself. She pushes away from the mess, hitting the wall behind her hard enough to bruise her shoulders.

Through watering eyes, she sees the creature crawling towards her on all fours. His skin is a dark, rusted color and the his tongue drags along the floor, leaving a slimy trail in its wake. He pauses when he gets close to her vomit, giving it a considering look before taking a swipe at it with his tongue.

Anna's still trying to catch her breath, hands clenched against the urge to get sick again. Her head is pounding and it takes her a moment to realize she dropped her weapons in her struggle to get away from him.

Thankfully, the knife she always sticks in her boot is still there. But before she can even reach for it, the akaname's pale tongue lashes out and wraps around her ankle. A hard yank forces her away from the wall, her head once again making contact with the hard floor. His tongue twitches and she begins to helplessly skid through filth and waste, heading straight towards his mouth. There's nothing to hold onto, nothing that can stop her from reaching him.

But an object on the ground slashes open her palm as she passes it, and she grasps it tightly instead of flinching away from it. When her foot comes dangerously close to the akaname's teeth, she uses her forward momentum to sit up and swipe towards his face.

The mirror shard slices him from cheek to cheek, causing him to howl in a tone that sends goosebumps across Anna's skin. She had hoped the pain would be enough for him to let her go, but if anything his tongue tightens further around her ankle. Holding her leg in place with one clawed hand, he bites down, canines effortlessly puncturing through her jeans before breaking the skin.

Anna cries out in pain, her grip on the glass tightening until she can feel blood dripping past her fingers. This time she uses a downward stabbing motion with the shard, aiming for her favorite target—one of his eyes. She yanks the shard back out, grinning savagely when she sees that his entire eyeball came out with it.

The attack has the desired effect this time; the akaname finally lets go of her, clutching at his ruined face. Anna feels a jolt go through his bite mark, followed by a sudden wave of heat. She shakes the feeling off as best she can—there's not time to check the severity of her injury.

She stands up shakily, using one of the sinks to lean against. Her head swims with the motion, vision going dark for a moment. She adds 'possible concussion' to her list of injuries and focuses instead on her leg. It seems like it can bear weight and so she reaches past the bite to grab her knife. The akaname is still on the other side of the bathroom, assessing his own wounds. Using her free hand, she throws the knife, hoping to hit one of the bulging arteries in his neck.

Without even looking in her direction, his arm comes up inhumanly fast and slaps the weapon away. Snarling, he violently whips his head so he's facing her, the motion causing gore to fly from his wounds. Pushing off the far wall, he charges towards her.

For a moment, Anna can see her own death. The akaname would be on her in a heartbeat, claws slipping in between her ribs and puncturing her lungs. As she struggled to breathe, he would open up her torso to feast on whatever her could find in her stomach and intestines. Kristoff wouldn't know she was dead, not until the Guild gave an official notice long after the fact. And Elsa…her roommate would just think she disappeared, never to be seen again.

But the moment is quickly dashed—the akaname's limbs begin to slide wildly below his body, unable to find purchase on the ice. His side slams into her, sending them both crashing against the wall. The damp and rotting wood splinters under their combined weight and they go straight through the building.

In the space of a breath, everything is weightless. Then she slams against the ground, the creature on top of her.

* * *

When she wakes up, the sun is setting and she's close to freezing. The akaname is dead weight on top of her, making it almost impossible to breathe (not that she really wants to breathe in the fumes rolling off his skin).

"Move," she says softly, the tone almost pleading. "Get off."

He doesn't comply, and the stiffness of his body can only mean that he's dead. She twists and squirms, slowly able to push out from under him. When she's finally free, she's too weak to stand. The best she can do is crawl a few feet away from him and take in the first excrement-free inhales since entering the building.

Glancing at the akaname, Anna wonders how he managed to injure himself so severely when she notices a glimmer atop his ribcage. It's a piece of glass, the same one she had used on his eye. When he ran at her, she must have been holding it in her hand and had somehow managed to stab him with it. The move wasn't intentional but she'll take what she can get.

Despite the threat being taken care of, Anna can't summon even an ounce of relief. Her brain feels swollen inside her skull and her leg is starting to heat up again. The hand that held the mirror is a bloody mess—the palm is completely sliced open, as is the skin covering the joints of her fingers.

Her vision is starting to feel murky, making everything around her seem like it's underwater. Once she wraps her scarf around her hand, she attempts to stand up again. This time she makes it a few feet in the general direction of her car before falling over.

Step, step, fall.

Step, step, fall.

The process repeats itself over and over. By the time Anna sees her vehicle, the sky is dark and tears of exhaustion are welling in her eyes. The heat from her bite has steadily been crawling upwards, reaching the middle of her thigh by the time she struggles with the door handle.

She manages a weak smile towards the object in the passenger seat—by sheer chance, she had brought the bestiary with her. Fingers shaking with cold, she reaches for her akaname bookmark and reads what she had neglected to earlier:

'_The akaname's sticky tongue is used to ingest grease, excrement, hair, and whatever else he can find in his home. His main method of self-defense comes from injecting his victim with venom from his fangs. The venom is fast acting, leading to fever, nausea, elevated heart rate, and vision problems. If not treated quickly, the venom will cause paralysis and possibly death.'_

Anna covers her mouth with a shaky hand. "I'm so stupid," she whispers. Swinging her leg onto the passenger seat, she rolls up her jeans to see the damage.

The bite has imprinted most of the akaname's teeth into her skin, the pattern wrapping nearly all the way around her calf. The wound is oozing blood and pus, and streaky red lines are making their way towards her heart.

"Oh god," she says, panicked. She nearly rips open her glove box, digging through the many first aid supplies crammed into the space.

Her hand lands on a tiny bottle, one that had cost her nearly a month's rent. _"It's not a cure all, but it's close," _she remembers her supplier saying, his pale blue eyes looking seriously into her own, _"If you get bitten, stung by something, this can help your body fight off the toxins. The pain from this will be just as bad as the venom, the only difference being that it won't kill you."_

"Very comforting, Jack," she mutters, hand reaching back into the glove box. She comes out with a syringe and quickly fills it with the bottle's thick liquid. She takes a steadying breath, trying to get her heart rate under control.

The needle hovers at her inner elbow, ready to be inserted. This isn't the first time she's had to use an intravenous route for medicine, but the previous times hadn't involved vision distortion or extremely shaky hands.

"Now or never," she says, nodding comfortingly to herself. The needle breaks the skin and slips into a vein. Once the syringe is emptied, she recaps the needle and is about to wrap it up when she blacks out.

* * *

"…nna. Anna!" She's propped up against something solid, though her head is lolling down towards her chest. Her eyelids feel impossibly heavy.

"Anna, wake up!"

She groans when she feels fingers grasp her chin and tilt it upwards. She forces her eyes open, squinting against the light of a familiar room and a familiar face.

"Els…" Anna tries to say, and the face becomes clearer. Elsa's kneeling down in front of her, a look of concentrated worry on her face. They're in the front hall of their apartment, right up against the door. "I…" Anna swallows, "I hope I didn't hit anyone." She didn't mean to say that out loud, but her mind is starting to go hazy from the venom, the medicine, and a likely concussion.

Despite her obvious concern, Elsa's eyebrows draw together. "What," she asks carefully, "do you mean?"

_I don't know how I got here. _

She can't tell Elsa that. It would lead to questions, and she just might answer them truthfully. So she stays silent, wanting Elsa to leave her alone.

But of course she doesn't. She picks up Anna from under her armpits, slinging one of Anna's arms around her shoulders. Anna appreciates the fact that she doesn't instantly recoil due to her odor. "We need to get you to a hospital," Elsa decides. Once she's fully supporting Anna, she begins to open the door.

"No," Anna says against a wave of vertigo. "I'm not going." She already took the antivenom and there's too much risk in going there without being able to warn any Guild doctors ahead of time. Even her head injury can be healed once she's able to move on her own. All she has to do is wait out the side effects.

The exasperation on Elsa's face is almost enough to make her smile. "You're covered in who-knows-what, you have a fever, and you can't even stand on your own," Elsa lists off, ignoring Anna's feeble attempt to block the door with her good leg. "I am taking you whether you want to or not."

Anna squeezes her eyes shut and says very deliberately, "I will_ not _forgive you if you do this. Ever." She doesn't quite regret the words, since she knows they will stop Elsa, but they add a different, deeper kind of hurt to her.

Elsa's grip on her slackens and Anna nearly falls back to the floor. Her roommate quickly readjusts her hold to keep her upright. "Anna," Elsa's voice is shaking and so are her hands, "I'm just trying to help."

Anna sighs tiredly, leaning her head against Elsa's shoulder. "I know. But it has to be this way. Just please…let me stay here, just for the night."

"I don't like this at all," Elsa mumbles against her hair. In a louder voice she says, "Fine. But you should at least be in bed right now."

Anna shakes her head at that too. "The couch is fine." Like it usually is right before she goes on a hunt, her room is a mess of books and weapons.

She feels Elsa stiffen. "My bed, then." She starts off in the direction of her room without waiting for a reply. Anna tries to support herself as best she can, but Elsa ends up carrying her most of the way.

Elsa gently lowers her onto the bed, apparently not even caring that her bed sheets will likely be ruined from Anna's disgusting state. "I'm getting a wet washcloth for you," Elsa says after she's satisfied with Anna's positioning. "Try not to get any more injured while I'm gone."

"No promises," Anna says weakly, watching her leave. She really doesn't deserve such a good friend, especially one who's not in the loop. What the hell is she going to tell her when this is over?

A hot spasm sudden shoots through Anna's core, signaling the fight between venom and antivenom inside her. She groans, eyes shutting against the sensation. The heat spreads like wildfire, going down to her legs, along her arms, up to her head.

She can't breathe; it's too hot. Her clothes are a constricting weight on her, trapping the warmth inside between them and her body. By the time Elsa comes back, Anna's out of her jacket and struggling with the collar of her shirt.

"I can't…" she gasps, "I can't take it." Elsa drops the towel to help guide Anna out of the shirt. The only thing underneath is a black bra, and even _she _has enough sense to know it should probably stay on.

Above her, there's a sharp intake of breath. She feels the damp towel gliding across her ribs and along the sides of her stomach. "What are these from?" Elsa murmurs, mostly to herself. Anna can only imagine what she's looking at—scratches? Bruises? All of the above and more? Anna's just glad she hasn't been paying attention to her injured hand, which is between her and the wall.

"Forest," Anna forces out, wanting to put Elsa at ease as much as she could. "Animal." It's the most accurate thing she can say right now.

But Elsa is already shaking her head, a tight smile on her face. "You're such a bad liar," she says. Her voice cracks in the middle.

Anna huffs, because even if she is the worst liar in the world, she just gave Elsa the truth.

Another wave of heat wracks her body, and her back arches against it, muscles becoming as tight as bow strings. The fire doesn't go away this time but lingers, meanders through her without a care.

The towel is on her face now, but it's not helping. It doesn't even feel cold anymore. A spike of self-loathing goes through her. "My fault," she whispers, leaning her face away from Elsa's ministrations.

She looks up and sees Elsa gazing at her. Feels Elsa's hand close around one of her own. There's silent compassion in her, though Anna doesn't know what she's done to deserve such kindness. All she's done is drag Elsa into another one of her cases. Anger boils up again, spurred on by the fever.

"I-I didn't do my homework," Anna says softly, eyes burning. "All…all I did was skim. I'm so _stupid_."

Apparently the words are the last thing Elsa expects to hear. Her grip loosens around Anna's hand slightly and she tilts her head. "Homework? Anna, I think you're becoming delir—"

Anna vehemently shakes her head. "I overestimated…myself. I thought it would be easy, but…but I was fighting the hangover and…" she stops, shame marring her features. She's never so royally fucked up a case before. And all because she was too impatient to do the research.

A bolt of heat hits her injured hand, causing her to flinch. The pain is getting to be too much to bear. She can tell that she's sweat her way through Elsa's comforter and all the underlying sheets. Her hair is damp and she feels it sticking to the nape of her neck.

Her mouth works, struggling to form words. "You should…go," Anna says at last. "I'll be…better in the morning." Elsa should get some rest. Hell, she shouldn't even _want _to be here, friend or not. Anna really wouldn't blame her if she wanted to leave. Her eyelids are getting heavy again—proof that even a raging fever isn't enough to keep her conscious in the light of her crappy day.

Elsa's voice breaks through her mental fog. "I'm not leaving," she says stubbornly. If anything, her grip on Anna's hand becomes even tighter.

Anna simply shakes her head again, too sleepy to protest vocally.

"Anna," Elsa says, voice sounding like it's right next to her, "I'm going to help you." There's a note of determination in the words, like they're a promise Elsa will do anything to fulfill.

Anna eyes finally close and she lets out a shaky exhale. The moment she does so, Elsa lets go of her. Elsa's hand ghosts over Anna's arm, her shoulder, across her collarbone, until its cradling the back of her neck. Her other hand sweeps aside her bangs and presses against her cheek, fingers burying themselves in her hair.

Cold.

For the first time since this afternoon, she feels _cold_.

Anna shifts slightly, though her eyes stay shut. The strange thing is that the sensation seems to be coming from Elsa's hands. The cold makes its way through the rest of her in slow, pulsating movements. The fever is still there, but it's diminished now, mere embers compared to the fire it once was.

Elsa's hands stay on her for an indeterminate amount of time, until the sheen of sweat on her body has dried, until goosebumps finally reappear across her skin. Elsa releases her when Anna shivers, and she pulls out a blanket to cover her half-naked form.

Anna drifts off in a deep, but slightly troubled, sleep.

* * *

The next time she opens her eyes, the light coming through the blinds is a dark blue, indicating a cloudy day ahead of her.

She's surprisingly refreshed, though her bad hand is throbbing beneath the scarf. Her head still feels a little stuffy, but it's nothing that can't be cleared up with some medicine. Rubbing her eyes, she sits up, the blanket on her slipping down slightly.

On the floor right next to the bed, Elsa is curled up in a loose ball. She looks exhausted, her features pale and drawn out. One of her hands is outstretched towards the bed, as if reaching for Anna.

Memories from last night surge back, and Anna's heart starts thudding inside her chest.

The cold. It had come from Elsa's hands. There's a possibility that she had been dreaming about Elsa helping her, but she doesn't think it's a very likely one. The memories are too vivid, too _real_, which means…

Anna cradles her head in her palms, trying to make a mental list.

First there was the snow coming out from beneath Elsa's door even though the window was shut.

There's the fact that the apartment's heater didn't start malfunctioning until Elsa moved in.

And then the freak gust of snow that managed to come through Weselton's lecture hall…

Anna carefully turns over to stare fully at the woman on the floor. The one who cared for her, worried over her…the one who may not be entirely human.

_Oh crap._

* * *

**A/N: **Oh ho ho…now we're getting somewhere. Credit where credit's due: The idea of Kristoff using Sven to make Anna trip into an Elsanna moment was user Wandering Quill. Thanks, friend! And remember...always do your research before you go hunting.

Glossary

**Pakhangba** (creature Hiccup loses his foot to)- a mythical hybrid of Indian origins. Resembles a dragon with deer antlers.

**Akaname** (creature Anna goes against)- Japanese in origin. Parents would scare their children with tales of a goblin-like creature that would inhabit dirty bathrooms, eating the filth within. In some accounts, has a poisonous tongue.


End file.
